Over $126,000 in technology equipment for Buda’s new municipal facility was given the green light by Buda city leaders Aug. 1.
The unanimous vote from the Buda City Council came after officials tabled discussion in July to revise the list of equipment needed for the new facility, as well as send out a list for pricing.
The proposed $126,796 includes costs for a telecommunications tower, wireless access points, uninterruptible power supply, radio upgrades, installation and internet service provider (ISP) fiber construction.
According to city documents, the original allowance for the equipment was approximately $125,000. The majority of the funds were meant for technology equipment at the new city hall and public library.
Buda Assistant City Manager Micah Grau said the increase was due to the specific needs of the design of the municipal buildings.
However, the city ended up saving money on several other items. One of those was a $19,200 reduction in WAP cost. That derived from purchasing items from Cisco that were at a reduced price.
According to city documents, the proposed amount is for owner furnished, owner installed (OFOI) items the city’s information technology (IT) committee recommended. The alternative was to hire contractors to install the equipment.
Council member David Nuckels, also a member of the IT committee, praised the technology equipment estimate and city staff for recognizing the opportunity to get better equipment at a discounted price.
“I’d like to point out too that we got an upgrade,” Nuckels said. “We ended up getting better equipment at a discounted price.”
Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Lane and Council member George Haehn thanked the members of the IT committee for their hard work and reviewing cost estimates.
Grau said once approved, the equipment would be installed one building at a time and would take about a week per building.
