Bracebridge General Committee approves the IT Service transition from the District of Muskoka

The total cost is expected at over $2 million

Bracebridge General Committee approved the IT Service transition from the District of Muskoka, in the October 7, 2025, meeting.

The recommendation was made last month due to a review conducted by Perry Group Consulting Ltd., who advised the Town’s new IT strategy should involve severing the shared service arrangement with the District.

After assessing the Town’s current IT service delivery, the consulting firm expressed “widespread dissatisfaction of IT services,” including slow paced responsiveness, a need for modernization, and issues with communication with staff and leadership.

Mayor, Rick Maloney, expressed.  “It’s a growing community, which includes increased demands, such as IT.

He indicated that the Town’s relationship with the District “served a purpose in its time.” He added, “Our demands have outpaced that service the District can provide.”

The consultant group reported that risks involve “infrastructure, resilience, decision making processes…business system support, operations, and an outdated Memo of Understanding (MOU).”

They recommended moving to a third party as a Managed Service Provider (MSP) and employing an IT coordinator for Bracebridge and Gravenhurst.

According to the staff report, transition costs include an ongoing annual rate of $60,000 for licencing and additional services, implementation $90,000 for up to 4 years, Coordinator salary and benefits at $135,000.

It adds that other anticipated costs include $878,031 for Gravenhurst IT Services, plus $167,950 for their implementation and transition, and $947,627 for Bracebridge IT Services, plus $184,550 for their implementation, for a total cost of $2,178,158.

The consultants advised that the transition taking place in both the Towns, including their libraries, and the District, can take up to 24 months, with the bulk of it happening within the first 12 months.

They added that the Town and library will have a shared MSP, with security as a priority.

They also recommended proceeding quickly so they can progress with the new model, which will initially involve creating a transition agreement and selecting a new IT partner and co-ordinator.

Due to lack of time to thoroughly review the report last month Committee agreed to defer the decision until today’s meeting.

Committee members discussed that the transition seems realistic as other area municipalities have already made the change.

Staff indicated that they have been in communication with other municipalities and will draw from their knowledge. They added, “It’s a large undertaking and we will rely on their experiences with the departure for assistance.”

They continued, “We will work with the consultants to be as innovative as we can as we move forward, and report to Committee with updates.”