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05/07/2001CITY COMMISSION SPECIAL WORKSESSION CITY OF CLEARWATER Information Technology Update May 7, 2001 Present: Brian J. Aungst Mayor/Commissioner Ed Hart Vice-Mayor/Commissioner Whitney Gray Commissioner Hoyt P. Hamilton Commissioner William C. Jonson Commissioner Also present: William B. Horne II Interim City Manager Garry Brumback Assistant City Manager Pamela K. Akin City Attorney Cynthia E. Goudeau City Clerk Brenda Moses Board Reporter The Mayor called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. at City Hall in the City Hall Training Room. Interim City Manager Bill Horne said some tough decisions need to be made in the future regarding Information Technology issues. He said in the past, departments operated independently. He said it is important to interface departments appropriately in order to meet the needs of the community and become more effective, efficient, and cost effective. ITEM #2 - IT Governance Plan a) Architecture Plan Information Technology Director Dan Mayer reviewed Information Technology systems history in Clearwater. The City did not have global e-mail access prior to 1997. He said it is anticipated that 85% of people will be on-line in the near future and the City’s technology systems must be integrated to provide multitasking capabilities to meet the internal needs and those of the community. Although technology is constantly changing, the City needs to decide what its technology strategy and needs are for the future. He presented issues that are critical and necessary to move toward a transitional type of service: 1) network and technology services; 2) programming and systems; 3) strategic architecture; and 4) administration. He said of approximately 1,800 employees, 1,200 have network user accounts. There are approximately 800 – 900 laptops in use at the City, excluding the Police Department’s. Although the cost savings may not be evident in the technology arena, the City would benefit by providing enhanced services through ease of access to information. He recommended the City hire a third party to address and maintain security systems due to the minimal costs for the service and high risks involved for security applications. Most information is readily available to the public with the exception of confidential data such as credit card numbers. Mr. Mayer said Information Technology staff will work with department directors to ensure their needs will be serviced by strategic integration of applications and hardware. Departments will be asked to justify their needs. The infrastructure development plan is an ongoing, long term plan that will help to integrate the City’s technology needs and control hardware, software, and maintenance and service costs. It is difficult, however, to guess at technology trends and needs, but fixes may be better controlled or avoided through the implementation of an Information Technology Board. The Board would be comprised of senior management who will review and formulate policies, standards, and procedures for technology requirements. ITEM # 3 - Oracle Enterprise License Agreement Mr. Mayer said staff feels very confident that Oracle and Dell will remain in business and provide the stable tools and interfaces that are required to develop applications in the City. Staff prefers to work with stable companies that can service the City’s needs on a long-term basis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He said 3 years ago, the City selected Oracle as the standard technology vendor. Current Oracle licensing includes 7 existing and 3 future technology systems with: 1) eight separate contracts; 2) four different license types; 3) staggered renewal periods; 4) eight separate invoices to process; 5) wrong license types to build web or integrated applications; and 6) annual maintenance costs of $49,500. Mr. Mayer said staff intends to manage the system to provide 1 annual invoice with an umbrella contract for services and concurrent renewal and proper licenses for future development, with annual maintenance costs of $55,000 for all systems. The up-front costs for the Oracle contract would be $165,000, with only maintenance costs thereafter. Mr. Mayer said the Ross finance system has been in place for a couple of years. Ross is in the process of being purchased. Although the software is stable and performs as is expected, staff is uncertain that it will accommodate the City’s future needs. ITEM # 4 - Geographic Information System Recommendation Mr. Mayer gave an overview of the GIS (Geographic Information System), including: 1) mapping; 2) data; and 3) business applications. The responsibility for GIS is with the Engineering Department. The GIS system replaces the AutoCAD paper mapping system with digital forms. GIS, Permitting, and Customer Service systems will include citizen interaction. The GIS system will provide input, storage, manipulation, query analysis, and visualization capabilities. a) Software Recommendation Mr. Mayer said staff is going to recommend using EZRI software as the integration platform for GIS as it would provide the shared data capability with the County. b) Memorandum of Understanding re Data sharing with Pinellas County Mr. Mayer said the Memorandum of Understanding regarding data sharing with Pinellas County would provide better coordination of scheduling of roadway and utility projects and establishes a commitment to exchange information vital to effective government operations. The agreement would not commit to specific levels of service for this exchange. The City wishes to work with the County but does not wish to be partners in software issues. The total price on the initial investment in EZRI is approximately $55,000. Information Technology staff is working with the Legal Department staff and the County’s Information Technology Director to prepare the draft document. Mr. Mayer said there has been a shift in the way governments conduct business in an effort to provide community support. He said the costs already are allocated in the budget this year for the GIS, Oracle, and Tidemark systems. In future years, he estimated costs for the utility system at $500,000 to $1,000,000; for the new finance system approximately $2,000,000 to $2,500,000. Staff intends to select a technology system that would integrate the payroll, finance, and public works systems. In response to a question, Mr. Mayer said it is difficult to determine how technology and related personnel costs would impact the general fund annually. He said hardware costs are typically spread over 5 years but generally only last 3 years; the life expectancy of software applications may be longer. In response to a question, he said functionality does not always result in an obvious savings, but provides other benefits such as transforming the way the City does business and convenience of services. Mr. Horne said it is not always necessary to effectively manage the City’s services by purchasing the newest and the latest available products. However, the City can plan toward reliable and efficient technologies that would increase City services. It was requested that staff provide specific information regarding strategies prior to purchasing additional technology systems and making major application decisions. It was remarked that it is important to ensure departments understand the big picture. Mr. Mayer said staff would provide a business process evaluation and strategy. The process will be a partnership. Information Technology staff would not dictate technology needs to departments. It was felt that a level of need must be defined before a strategy can be implemented. Mr. Mayer said a governance plan will be completed by month's end to address the components of infrastructure and how staff views the City’s technology needs. In response to a question, Mr. Mayer said the Linex system is an open operating system. At some point in time, there may be a need to review its capabilities further. He said staff feels Oracle can better service the City’s needs at this time. He said if more vendors begin using and offering Linex systems, staff would definitely review them. It was remarked staff must ensure that competent employees are maintained to operate new technology systems. It was suggested consideration be given to public interaction to ensure proposed applications will meet City needs. Mr. Mayer said customer evaluations would be done. Staff will perform due diligence prior to making recommendations to the Commission. In response to a question, Mr. Mayer said staff has discussed the issue of minimum standards of qualifications for employees in certain positions with Human Resources staff. Personnel interested in various positions are informed of training requirements. Assistant City Manager Garry Brumback said staff is working to identify job skills and has focused on employees that are upwardly mobile. In response to a question, Mr. Mayer said the imaging system has been implemented in the City Clerk’s office and the anticipated target date for the system to be operational is February or March 2002. Training on the system would be phased in. Approximately a year after the system is updated, information can be accessed from the Internet. In response to a question, Mr. Mayer said decisions regarding platform issues presented for Commission approval would not adversely affect or be predicated on the business architecture. He said platform issues could be made with some certainty of longevity, whereas the business issues involve greater risk. ITEM #5 - Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 10:55 a.m.