Notice is hereby given that the Ferndale City Council will hold two special meetings for the purpose of a Council Retreat. The first meeting will be on June 6, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. The second meeting will be on June 7, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the Ferndale Library Meeting Room, 2125 Main Street. These are open public meetings as outlined by the Open Public Meetings Act, and members of the public are invited to attend and observe.
NOTICE OF A POTENTIAL QUORUM
In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act (RCW 42.30), notice is hereby given that a quorum of Ferndale City Councilmembers may be in attendance at the following event:
State Auditor’s Exit Conference
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 11:00 a.m.
Remote Meeting via Microsoft Teams
The purpose of this meeting is to allow state auditors to share their preliminary results of their accountability audit for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, and financial audit for fiscal year 2021. This is an open public meeting as outlined by the Open Public Meetings Act, and members of the public are invited to attend and observe. To attend this virtual meeting, dial 564-999-2000, conference ID 106 876 875, or use the following link: Click here to join the meeting
Susan Duncan, MMC
City Clerk
City of Ferndale
May 23, 2023
Notice is hereby given that the Ferndale City Council will hold a public hearing at 5:00 p.m. on June 20, 2023 to hear the following:
The proposed 2024 to 2029, Six-Year Transportation Improvement Plan, which prioritizes street construction and reconstruction projects within the City of Ferndale.
The meeting will be a hybrid-style meeting, with the option of attending in-person or remotely. The meeting will be held at the City Hall Annex, 5694 Second Avenue.
This is still an open public meeting as defined by the Open Public Meetings Act. The City will be using Microsoft Teams to livestream the council meeting. Members of the public do not need to download anything to view the proceedings. A link to the online meeting can be found on the City’s website www.cityofferndale.org
All persons interested in providing a public comment are encouraged to submit their written comment to Public Works Director Kevin Renz by emailing kevinrenz@cityofferndale.org. Comments received prior to 4:00 p.m. Monday, June 19th will be included in the meeting record. There will be limited capacity for in-person comments at the City Hall Annex located at 5694 Second Avenue.
The following questions were submitted in response to the City’s Request for Proposals for a municipal financial software system. Answers are in bold and italicized.
Answer: We have roughly 6,000 total accounts, of that we estimate approximately 5,000 residential customers and 1,000 commercial customers.
Answer: PDF is preferred, but the City will accept any and all of the formats listed.
Answer: The City is not seeking full-service IT services through this request. However, responders should describe the extent to which they are able to service their software as well as any additional IT support is typically associated with installing, maintaining, and updating the software packages, in addition to any physical hardware (servers, etc.) that may be required. The ability of the responder to work closely with third party IT providers may also be included.
Answer: The City reserves the right to establish a short list, or to proceed straight to selection after proposal review. This decision will depend on the number and quality of responses.
Answer: We bill bi-monthly to each account, so approximately 6,000 bills every two months.
Answer: No.
Answer: We are not aware of any file size limitations.
Answer: The City’s current financial software is outdated and is no longer supported with updates. Due to its age (approximately ten years old), there are challenges in integrating the software with newer models: technology has advanced significantly in the last decade, and the existing software is no longer providing the same advantages in terms of workflow and staff time as it once did, and no longer reflects what is possible and expected of financial software systems for local government. In addition, the City believes that there are opportunities to seek updated financial software modules that will permit greater streamlining of operations, less manual entry, less reliance on paper documentation, and enhanced security features, both in regard to cybersecurity as well as internal fraud. The City also believes that there are opportunities to improve the segregation of duties and to establish and maintain software-based internal controls without relying on additional policies or procedures necessary to interact with the current modules.
In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act (RCW 42.30), notice is hereby given that a quorum of Ferndale City Councilmembers may be in attendance at the following event:
State Auditor’s Entrance Conference
Wednesday, March 25, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
Ferndale City Hall, 2095 Main Street
The purpose of this meeting is to allow state auditors to discuss the scope and objectives of the Financial and Accountability Audit of the City of Ferndale for the fiscal years 2020 – 2021. This is an open public meeting as outlined by the Open Public Meetings Act, and members of the public are invited to attend and observe.