The long reference behind the pitch. Checked Nov 2, 2026. Est. means estimate; proj. means projection.
This plan started as posts on XSheboygan, thinking out loud about the city's future.
| Item | Cost now | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Mac Studio, M5 Ultra, 512 GB, 16 TB | $119,196 | $29,799 each, TechRepublic |
| 2 NVIDIA workstations, 2 RTX Pro 6000 each | $106,000 | about $53,000 each; card price Tom's Hardware, build est. |
| 2 x 100 TB storage, mirrored | $23,630 | $11,815 each, NASHQ |
| Offline offsite backup | $10,000 | est. |
| Switches and Wi-Fi | $15,000 | est. |
| Battery backup (UPS) | $8,000 | est. |
| 15 iPads | $14,235 | $949 each, AppleInsider |
| 8 public kiosks | $11,200 | iPad $949 + stand $445, rounded; Maclocks |
| Council chamber cameras and mics | $150,000 | est.; other cities $110,543 to $181,748 |
| Hardware total | $457,261 | sum of the lines above, partly est. |
| City Hall room fit-out | $35,000 | est. |
| Build: 2 in-house developers, 1 year | $331,000 | est.; $122,620 BLS WI mean + 35% benefits |
| Build: contractor instead | $600,000 to $1.2M | est., 4 people at about $150/hr |
| Information Keeper | $218,000/yr | est.; $161,360 Sheboygan median + 35% |
| Systems engineer | $113,000/yr | est.; $83,650 WI median + 35% |
| Archives librarian | $90,000/yr | est.; $66,870 WI median + 35% |
| Media producer | $85,000/yr | est.; $63,200 WI median + 35% |
| Maintenance developer | $166,000/yr | est.; $122,620 + 35% |
| Power and cooling | up to $9,000/yr | about 7 kW est. at 14.19 cents/kWh (EIA) |
| Hardware replacement fund | $46,000/yr | est., 10% of hardware |
Benefits note: BLS puts state and local government benefits at 38.8 percent of total pay, higher than the 35 percent load used here. At that rate, staff costs run about 20 percent higher.
| Nov 2025 | Nov 2026 | Nov 2027 (proj.) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maxed Mac Studio, each | $14,099 | $29,799 | higher (proj.) |
| RTX Pro 6000 card | about $8,500 | $16,000 | higher (proj.) |
| Full engine up front | about $387,000 | about $492,000 | about $517,000 |
| Small 2-Mac system (earlier plan) | about $123,000 | about $177,000 | about $197,000 |
Only Mac and NVIDIA prices move between years; other lines are held flat. The 2027 figure applies the earlier trend of about 11 percent.
If the current IT Director position becomes the Information Keeper, new staff cost drops from about $672,000 to about $454,000 a year (est.).