City's technical support behind times

COLUMBUS - Local tax dollars and city services may be enhanced by utilizing an in-house information technology/system (IT/IS) employee, a resource other comparable communities have discovered to be invaluable.

Although the City of Columbus operates an extensive data technology system, citizens may not be getting the most out of their city government because the lack of an information systems employee may not be maximizing efficiency.

Currently, the city relies on less than a handful of city employees to aid in IT-related problems and Finance Director Anne Kinnison is the point person for troubleshooting any problems within a system that includes more than 125 computers and laptops, five servers and a mainframe and operates major programming that includes water and sewer monitoring, reporting and billing, payroll, online resources and emergency management technology.

Although aiding in technology-related problems has always been part of her job description, Kinnison said times have changed since she was hired more than 13 years ago, and technology is developing at an accelerated rate, a pace she is not comfortable keeping up with.

“I'm the go-to person. I'm responsible for it,” Kinnison said. “It is the part of the job that worries me the most.”

Although she receives assistance from Columbus Police Department Sgt. Todd Thalken, Brian Imus, a city engineering aide, and Donna Thiem, a library assistant, to help with computer problems in their respective departments, none have received formal training.

“My job is to figure out who to go to to resolve issues,” she said. “Employees step up and try to do it, but it's not really efficient,” although, with the assistance of consultant and contractors, the city has been able to “ease by.”

Three months ago the City of Fremont was facing a similar situation, but the introduction of an information systems department has already had a tremendous impact.

Bob Hartwig, Fremont city administrator, said prior to creation of the information systems position, the city relied on contractors to fix problems, and there were times when people's requests for help and system improvements were not answered immediately.

Since adding the position, the city has been able to focus on updating city services and communications, such as connecting and networking all city buildings and quick resolution to any computer or server related problems.

“Everybody is really, really happy to have him here,” Hartwig said.

The City of Norfolk has had an IS employee for more than 13 years, and that position has branched out into an independent department.

Jim McKenzie, the Norfolk IS manager, said the department manages and maintains all the technology, more than 250 pieces of equipment within every division of the city - from phone systems and networking to software installation and hardware maintenance.

Michael Nolan, Norfolk city administrator, said the department has had a significant positive affect and allowed Norfolk to reliably operate in the technology-reliant 21st century.

“Our whole communication system is tied into computers,” Nolan said. “I can't imagine how bleak it would be if we didn't have the system managed effectively. We are so information intensive if we don't have a good comp(uter) system we just don't have efficiency. We are more effective now than before we had IT.”

Some of that efficiency includes significantly reducing staff down time caused by computer complications and a delayed response to fix the problem.

Jim Hawks, North Platte city administrator, said it helps to have experts in the technology field in-house for the city to reliably call on if presented with computer and technology problems.

“One of the things that saves us the most is being able to have an expert on board to meet our computer and networking needs,” Hawks said.

The North Platte IS department also allows the city to make sure all the departments are using compatible programming and are capable of relaying information to help eliminate redundancy in filing paperwork or providing services, he said. They also provide recommendations on programming and hardware updates so the city can make the best, cost-efficient decision to meet the city's needs.

“We rely very heavily on computer infrastructure,” Hawks said. The IS department is “an integral part of our operations. We feel fortunate to have qualified people in the department helping us stay on top of it.”

Wendell Wessels, Kearney director of finance and administration, said six years ago the City of Kearney employed somebody in each department who was responsible for that department's IT functions.

Since then the centralized department was created, Wessels said, and one of the benefits was there were four people who were familiar with the systems in each department.

“It is much more beneficial to have a centralized department,” he said, because, if there are hardware or software problems, someone is able to respond right away. “If the software doesn't work or hardware is down, rather than have people sit there and do nothing” they can be operational in a short period of time.

“It is expensive to pay employees to do nothing,” Wessels said.

Despite an annual request from Kinnison to hire an IT person, she has yet to convince the City Council of such a need.

But City Administrator Joseph Mangiamelli and city staff are tabulating hard figures to determine whether a change would be beneficial or prohibitive to the city.

“We are accumulating the hours and the cost of the contracted service that we have as well we documenting the staff time that is spent on these problems so we can demonstrate to the city council if having an IT person is cost effective,” Mangiamelli said. And if it is “we would include it in next year's budget.”

Such a proposal was not included this year, he said, because such information was not documented and because of financial constraints due to a tighter budget year.

Although a full set of data has yet to be accumulated, Mangiamelli said the request is not without merit as the dependence on technology grows.

“The city is utilizing computers for more and more reporting responsibilities to regulatory agencies,” he said. “We need to take a serious look and get a better handle on” our technology needs.

Kinnison said the level of service expected by the public could not be performed without the assistance of modern technology and having an IT person on staff could enhance that reliability.