Common Council Approves New Computer Software Services

The City of Dunkirk has been working for more than a year to implement new computer software in order to streamline its operations, and lawmakers have taken action to make it happen. During a Common Council meeting earlier this month, council members voted 4-1 to allow Mayor Kate Wdowiasz to enter into an agreement with GovSense for municipal software services. Councilman at Large Nick Weiser says the change is both "necessary and overdue," adding that GovSense has earned the support of city leadership...

Nick Weiser: GovSense has earned our support

Weiser added that it's a "meaningful step forward" in responding to guidance from the New York State Comptroller's Office. The lone dissenter was Fourth Ward Councilwoman Nancy Nichols. She had concerns about the costs associated with the new software, as well as its effectiveness...

Nancy Nichols: concerns over effectiveness and costs

She also noted that the resolution did not include details about what's included in the software. Fiscal Affairs Officer Ellen Luczkowiak said city officials have "gone through a lot of trouble" to make sure the software "can bring us forward instead of backward." The city included $300,000 in this year's budget for the software.

File photo; audio from Dunkirk Access