Brimfield trustees approve new website vendor, switch internet providers and create township administrator post amid cost‑saving push

At a regular meeting Wednesday, the Brimfield Board of Trustees approved a series of administrative and budget actions aimed at reducing operating costs and strengthening staff capacity.

After negotiations with the township's current vendor stalled, Joe (speaker 6), the township IT/communications lead, recommended contracting STG to redesign the municipal website on a three‑year plan. Joe said the board would spread the site's creation cost over three years and quoted a figure of "$3,550" presented as the annual cost for a three‑year contract; trustees approved the STG contract on roll call. Joe outlined a phased approach to ensure critical public information (public notices, calendar, contact details) could be live quickly if CivicPlus stops responding.

Trustees also approved a proposal to switch the township's fiber internet service to AT&T. IT staff told the board that moving to AT&T's product (with a different service‑level agreement) would reduce monthly charges and still retain backup cellular connections for mission‑critical services. "So over the course of the contract, we'll be saving $73,000 by switching this," Joe said, and staff estimated a monthly savings around $2,029. The board authorized the switch and a potential buyout of the existing contract if that accelerates installation.

On internal compensation, the board voted to set zoning commission stipends at $100 per member per day (defined as per day) and to aim for one meeting per month to manage costs. Trustees described the change as a return to the 2022 stipend structure after review.

Trustee Sue proposed pausing cemetery plot buybacks to conserve the general fund; that motion failed on a roll call with the trustees voting "No." Dan Mars, a resident who had urged stronger parks programming earlier in public comment, had also offered to volunteer as a temporary parks director to help restart programs and generate revenue.

After an executive session on compensation matters, trustees voted to create a township administrator position under the Ohio Revised Code; the board asked staff to prepare a full job packet and application process for presentation at a future meeting.

All motions described above passed or failed as recorded on roll call; trustees directed staff to prepare follow‑up materials where appropriate.