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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-04-18 City CouncilBUDGET ’00- 01 City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL ATTENTION:FINANCE COMMITTEE FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DATE:APRIL 18, 2000 CMR: 213:00 SUBJECT:INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE This is an informational report and no Council action is required. BACKGROUND In order to ensure that the City of Palo Alto continues to provide its citizens with services that are efficient, high quality and effective, staff recognized that it was necessary to develop an Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan. In 1998, the City selected The Warner Group management consulting firm to assist in this effort. Working with a citywide team, The Warner Group developed a comprehensive IT Strategic Plan for the City that incorporates recommendations in the areas of hardware, network, software, and organization and staffing strategies. Following the completion of the IT Strategic Plan, staff developed an implementation plan that breaks down the Strategic Plan recommendations into specific tasks and actions. Phase One of the implementation plan addressed the critical organizational and staffing components, and focused on the creation of an information technology organization that is flexible, customer service oriented and priority-driven. Specific components of Phase One which have been implemented include: Consolidation of IT Staff IT staff were located in three primary departments (Administrative Services, Police and Utilities), resulting in a number of redundant and disparate IT activities and processes in the City organization. As part of the Phase One implementation, all existing IT positions within the City were consolidated into the IT Division of the Administrative Services Department, and selected IT positions were reclassified. CMR:213:00 Page 1 of 5 Reorganization of IT. As part of Phase One, the IT Division has been reorganized into three key groups: Project Management and Application Services, Infrastructure Services, and Client Services and Operations. This new organizational structure is based upon the City’s business needs, and provides a less fragmented approach to the development of the technology infrastructure. As a result of the reorganization, several IT positions were reclassified and job descriptions broadened. Additionally, the division now has the flexibility to hire and promote between the Systems Analyst and Senior Systems Analyst classifications, which will provide a greater opportunity for the hiring and retention of qualified IT staff. Increased Service Levels. The final component of Phase One implementation involved an increase in the level of IT services provided to City departments. With the recent implementation of a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system for Police and Fire, there was an immediate need for IT support 24 hours a day, seven days a week (24x7). This 24x7 support has now been implemented for public safety, with the addition of two new Senior Systems Analyst positions. DISCUSSION The Administrative Services Department budget for 2000-01 includes approximately $.7 million in new funding .for ongoing costs associated with the Phase One implementation, and $.4 million for various components of Phase Two. Phase Two of the implementation plan addresses the hardware, network and software components of the Strategic Plan and the remaining organizational and staffing requirements. The details of Phase Two of the implementation plan are shown in Attachment One. Each of the major components of Phase Two is discussed in detail below. Due to the extensive recommendations to be addressed in Phase Two and the time it is expected to take to implement them, staff anticipates that there will be additional resource requests in future budget years beyond 2000-01. Hardware: Several of the department’s key plans for 2000-01 incorporate tasks included in this component of the implementation plan. An enterprise backup system, proposed to be funded through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP 10106), will provide a single, centralized system and automated method to backup all of the City’s systems and networks. Additional improvements will include a new Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and an automatic transfer switch to provide redundancy for the Emergency 911 system. Work has also begun on the development of an IT Architecture and Standards Policy which will provide formal standards for IT infrastructure citywide. Network: Most City staff and facilities have now been migrated to the same network (NT domain), and all servers have been upgraded. Selected parts of the telecommunications cable infrastructure are being upgraded as part of the Space Planning Project, and work has already been completed on the third and fifth floors of the Civic Center. Work at CMR:213:00 Page 2 of 5 several library branches is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2000-01. The next areas of concentration will be the completion of a network infrastructure assessment and upgrade plan, and an IT security audit and corresponding enterprise security plan implementation. A new CIP, recommended in the IT Strategic Plan (City Network Hardware Redundancy, #10107), will fund the purchase of redundant equipment to provide continued network services in the event that a part of the City’s network fails. Software: Migration to a single, standard operating system (Microsoft Windows NT) is underway, and work has begun on the development of a formal policy outlining this standard. A standard has also been developed for the City’s Database Management System (DBMS), and a maintenance contract with Oracle is in the process of being established. IT staff are beginning work with other departments to develop a Geographical Information System (GIS) Strategic Plan, which will focus on the completion of the City’s GIS layers, provide enterprise-wide access for staff and citizens to GIS through the Internet, and promote the implementation of GIS-enabled departmental applications such as work order management, smart permitting, emergency dispatch and crime analysis. Another major project currently underway is research into a new financial system, to include Human Resources, payroll, timekeeping and accounting functions. New developments regarding this project will be brought to Council in a separate report. A major focus for 2000-01 will be the development of a strategic plan for electronic government (e-commerce and e-business) and a pilot application on the City’s web site. The goal of the eGov Master Plan is to create an "electronic City Hall" that will allow citizens to have interactive access to City services, including class registration, payment of utility bills and application for building permits, via the City’s website. Selected components of the plan will focus on the enhancement of internal services such as electronic procurement. Consolidation of the City’s information technology functions will require the centralization of all software maintenance support contracts under the Administrative Services Department. To that end, the department’s proposed budge~t for 2000-01 includes a $.5 million increase for this purpose, and will include contracts for new systems recently implemented such as the CAD system, permit tr.acking system and Utilities bill processing application (CIS). A majority of this centralization is recommended as part of the 2000-01 Proposed Budget; however, due to the fact that there are extensive systems and contracts currently in the Utility Funds, the decision was made not to move funding for these utility-related systems in the interim budget year. Funding for the various resources (staff, systems and contracts) which have previously been part of the Utility Funds will be consolidated in the General Fund under Administrative Services as part of the 2001-2003 budget process. CMR:213:00 ’ Page 3 of 5 Organization and Staffing: In addition to the ongoing costs for three new positions and several reclassifications approved in Phase One, three new positions are included in the 2000-01 Proposed Budget, to provide support for the Library Master Plan, the CIS and GIS-related projects. Additionally, the Proposed Budget includes an increase of $20,000 to provide IT staff training in the areas of project management, needs assessment and contract management skills. Also in the area of staff training, IT is collaborating with Human Resources to create a Technology Academy designed to train and develop existing and future Business Analysts in their role as technology liaisons for the departments. Additionally, IT staff are working with each City department to develop clearly defined service level agreements that will allow individual departments to know what service levels to expect. Service level agreements for the Police and Utilities departments are being finalized, with the remainder to be completed by the end of this fiscal year. RESOURCE IMPACT The 2000-01 Proposed Budget for the Administrative Services Department includes approximately $300,000 in salaries and benefits for three new IT positions; $20,500 in overtime costs for the implementation of 24x7 support for mission critical systems; $717,000 in ongoing salaries and benefits for implementation of Phase One of the Strategic Plan; and $20,000 for staff training. The Proposed Budget also includes $488,800 for the consolidation of software application maintenance contracts; a portion of this increase is offset by reimbursements from the Utility Funds. In addition, a number of new and continuing technology Capital Improvement Projects are proposed, totaling $1.1 million and listed on Attachment Two. These projects have been identified as having the highest priority in the implementation of Phase Two of the IT Strategic Plan and are represented by Key Plans in the 2000-01 Proposed Budget. A number of additional components of Phase Two remain unfunded in FY 2000-01. In conjunction with Phase Two, staff is currently working on the development of a Legacy Application Replacement Plan, an eGov Master Plan, a GIS Strategic Plan and a Telecommunications Master Plan. As a final component of the IT Strategic Plan, staff will return in early FY 2000-01 to discuss future potential financing needs to support these initiatives. Since these needs represent a significant resource impact, staff will propose alternative methods for financing these capital acquisitions. POLICY IMPLICATIONS Phase Two of the IT Strategic Plan supports a number of program elements of the Comprehensive Plan. These are detailed in Attachment Three. The elements supported are primarily in the Governance and Transportation chapters, in the areas of providing technological support and assistance to facilitate the effective flow of information both internally and to Palo Alto citizens. CMR:213:00 Page 4 of 5 ATTACHMENTS Attachment One: Attachment Two: Attachment Three: Phase Two Implementation Plan Components Proposed Technology Capital Improvement Projects IT Program Elements Supported in the Comprehensive Plan PREPARED BY:Leslie Jennings, Intern, Administrative Services Department Rod Massey, Manager, Information Technology DEPARTMENT HEAD: DirectOr, Administrative Services CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ILY HARRISON Assistant City Manager CMR:213:00 Page 5 of 5 Ziii 00 o oooo >. 0~.- 0 00z 0 ~zzl.U iii z z - z -~"E >- "--~E 0 ~o~° o :0 0zo. ~ t-ziii iii_1iii (.C(1 0 0n~ C)F-- .-=~-o .-=~.9 ~ u. <