Council Approves Updated IT Services Agreement with Middlesex County

ADELAIDE METCALFE - Council discussed and approved a revised Information Technology Service Agreement with Middlesex County on April 15. The council meeting featured discussions led by Michael Barnier, Clerk & Manager of Legislative Services, and supported by Chris Bailey, Director of Information Technology Services at Middlesex County.

Council has been under an IT services agreement with Middlesex County since June 2018. The arrangement, described by Barnier as crucial for providing affordable and reliable IT services to smaller municipalities, has undergone several revisions to modernize and make the agreement more sustainable. According to Barnier, the updated agreement ensures predictable funding and clearer regulations for participating municipalities.

Mayor Sue Clarke emphasized the cost-effectiveness of the agreement, highlighting the township's inability to afford such expertise independently. The discussion also touched upon the agreement's financial structure, where Councillor Garett Kingma inquired about annual cost adjustments. In response, Bailey clarified that the new agreement includes a base cost with a 3% annual increase and integrates all additional charges from project-specific work into this base cost. Over the past five years, these additional charges amounted to just over $4,500.

Bailey also noted efforts by his department to evaluate and optimize subscription services, ensuring efficient use of resources in response to the Budget Committee's challenge for a thorough review.

Council unanimously approved the recommendation to continue the IT servicing agreement, which authorizes Mayor Clarke and Clerk Barnier to execute the agreement with Middlesex County. The partnership reflects a continuing effort to maintain high-quality IT services for Adelaide Metcalfe, while managing costs effectively through collaborative agreements with the county.

David Gomez, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Middlesex Banner