ORIGINALLY POSTED MAY 2020
This webpage, Framingham Unfiltered, cost only $675. That is the cost of its hosting and domain registration for the period of 3 years, paid upfront. We now have google ads on the page which generate enough money to pay the bills with some going into a savings account earmarked “the legal fund” in the likely case that we eventually get sued.
Municipal websites can cost a little or a lot, depending on how you negotiate terms, if you decide to use a commercial platform or an open source system, and if you remember to price shop every few years and be open to change.
In Framingham, a small city of 70,000 or so peeps, the city pays nearly $30,000 a year just to have a website. Every year Framingham stays with this provider, it pays $1,400 more on average every year.
We reached out to the city of Worcester, a city with more than two times our population, and learned that their very navigable and fully featured website costs infinitely less money than Framingham’s because their web management is all done in house and uses WebGUI as a content management platform, which is free and open source.
Needham, they use the same system as Framingham does. Needham is a town of just over 30,000 residents. For the fiscal year 2020, Needham shelled out $21,000 for their website. Annually, their cost goes up by approximately $3000 per year using CivicPlus as their web site provider.
Ashland also uses the same system as Framingham does. Ashland has 17,000 residents. For the fiscal year 2020, Ashland shelled out a mere $7,000 for their website. Annually, their cost goes up by approximately $400 per year using CivicPlus as their web site provider.
The information presented here is a result of a FOIA request. As part of this years budget negotiations between the city executive branch (Mayor) and the legislative branch (The City Council), it came to light the massive expense the city was paying for it’s website. It also came to light that members of the city administration had no idea the terms of the contract, the last time it was renegotiated, or the last time bids were taken (price shopping) for other website platforms.
It was also brought up that the city was still actively using it’s “Choose Framingham” website. One participant in the City Council meeting went as far as saying it looks like it was created decades ago, had a goofy logo, and looked as if it was designed by a dim-witted 4-year old. Our FOIA request revealed that that website alone costs the city over $1000 a year.
Because the city could not come up with responses to the City Council’s questions, we investigated it on their behalf. Below are the FOIA details.
OUR ASK:
We are requesting costs affiliated with the creation, hosting, updates, domain registration, etc of “Choose Framingham”
Please provide the contract between the city or the Framingham EDIC and CivicPlus.
Please provide any billing statements or invioces from CivicPlus or proof of payment to CivicPlus in regards to the website at https://www.chooseframingham.com/ from 1/1/2019-5/12/2020
Please provide documentation of any costs related to the hosting, maintaince, updates, backups, web development of https://www.chooseframingham.com/ since 1/1/19 through 5/12/2020
THE RESPONSE:
EDIC/Economic development dept. do not manage any contract or pay any invoices directly to CivicPlus as that’s all managed through Tech Services. We are including 6 documents – the project summary, the FY19 and FY20 invoices; FY19 and FY20 contracts; and ChooseFramingham domain renewal.
Click to enlarge any of the response documents below.
This is why I always say that ANY budget can be cut, if you really look at it.
I wish the mayor would trim the books before he asks to raise taxes.