BANGOR, Maine — Bangor’s city government soon may be joining the digital age.
Without discussion Monday night, the Bangor City Council appropriated $210,000 from the city’s sale of the former police station on Court Street to create a digital records system for all city departments.
The digital system would replace the paper filing system city officials say has resulted in numerous copies of some items being maintained in different departments and has resulted in inefficiency.
During a committee meeting March 2, city officials said a uniform digital records system would improve efficiency, reduce cost and provide the public better access to municipal records.
“We’re getting swallowed up by paper,” Finance Director Debbie Cyr said at the time. “It’s not a very efficient way for any of us to work.”
City officials proposed a system that would include search capabilities and a public portal to give residents access to the records.
Despite the appropriation, it remains unclear whether the $210,000 would cover the cost of converting paper records to digital formats.
City Manager Cathy Conlow said at the time they were not confident the total would cover the full expense, but it was important to get the process started.
Cyr said during the committee meeting that one-time software and hardware expenses would be in the $60,000 to $70,000 range, but transferring the paper records to digital formats would be a “huge undertaking,” requiring the hire of a contractor to do the work.
Conlow and Cyr were not immediately available for comment Tuesday afternoon. Cyr said during the March 2 committee meeting she could have a request for qualifications ready by mid-April to help the city find contractors qualified for the conversion job.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.