Belleville Council bought $20k of iPads, but opts not to vote electronically

In 2016, Belleville Council asked I/T to investigate electronic voting.

In 2019, while raising the issue of electronic voting again, Belleville purchased the municipal government management software iCompass which supports electronic voting without modification but requires devices for each member to vote:

I/T was asked to investigate electronic voting by Council in 2016. With the purchase of I-compass software in 2019 for agenda management the issue of electronic voting has been raised again. The I-compass software supports electronic voting without modification but requires devices for each member to vote. The simplest of these is an I-pad and I/T is recommending 12 of them be purchased with mounts provided on the desks in the council chamber. Operating costs for a support person will be needed to perform the administrative functions surrounding voting will be incurred.

2020 Capital Budget

2020 – $400,000 Modernization of City Hall Council Chambers project

In 2020, Belleville approved the $400,000 Modernization of City Hall Council Chambers project:

City Hall Council Chambers, in it’s current form, is unable to accommodate the entire Executive Management Team and presents major accesibility limitations for staff, Council and guests. The proposed changes to the Chamber will offer additional seating, wider paths to allow for mobility aids, a more modernized appearance and a platform for the IT updates required to offer electronic voting. Funds will be used for renovations to the horseshoe, new chairs for council, staff and gallery, paint, and movable tables for staff.

Quote of $218,040 received.

The 2020 Capital Budget included $20,000 for a “Council Electronic Voting System” which funded the purchase of 12 iPads provided to Council to access the electronic agendas, and the Agenda Notes feature in iCompass.

There will be more room for staff. There’s also appropriate furniture and proper accessibility requirements. We’re also going to redo the council chamber to allow for all the new technology including electronic voting. We have 30 years worth of wires that have collected but are no longer being used. We have monitors that really aren’t effective to allow for the public to see. Those are original chairs from the renovation in ’88 that are in the gallery (will be replaced).

Mayor Mitch Panciuk

February 8, 2021 – Belleville adds $130,000 in funding the project after federal Enabling Accessibility Fund is denied

Belleville added $130,000 in funded to the project after their application to Employment and Social Development Canada for $92,500 in accessibility funding from the federal Enabling Accessibility Fund to renovate council chambers was denied and to sole source the installation of digital infrastructure and related electronic equipment within City Hall from AVIAS, in the amount of $75,000.00.

As part of the redesign of the Council Chambers, provision was made to physically accommodate upgrades to the digital infrastructure, although no specific upgrades were included in the contract. The City’s IT Section has been reviewing the existing digital capacity within the Chamber and City Hall in general. In order to support existing and future digital requirements it is recommended that upgrades be made at this time within the Chamber and in other strategic locations within City Hall. This would include upgrades to fibre optics to the Council Chamber from the first floor, clean up of old cabling and obsolete electronics within the Chamber and provision of new video screens, presentation equipment and components for electronic voting at Council meetings.

Given the specialized nature of the work and components staff have been working with AVIAS who previously installed the existing hardware & microphones in the Council Chambers, which are proposed to be reused. The appropriate Sole Source justification is attached to this report.

In addition, as part of the Council Chamber redesign, the architect suggested that new furniture be procured to complete the redesign. The recommended furniture was not part of the redesign tender and is proposed to be acquired through a Request for Quotation process. The estimated cost of the new furniture is approximately $48,000.00.

Renovations to City Hall Council Chambers

Keeping up with technology, it has connections for councillors to plug in their phones or their laptops to power up or connect to the city system. And it also is set up to allow council to function with electronic voting if they choose to go that route.

CAO Rod Bovay

The Council Chambers Modernization Project was completed in 2022.