Loading...
AD HOC Technology Minutes 2003 07-29-03 Page 1 of 2 APPROVED BY THE COMMtTiEE/BOARD UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE ON_ Q dc� y3 5cv� AD HOC TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY,JULY 29, 2003 6:30 P.M. In Attendance: Alderman Marty Munn—Chairman Alderman Larry Kot Alderwoman Wanda Ohare Administrator Tony Graff Police Office Supervisor Molly Batterson Finance Director Traci Pleckham Mayor Art Prochaska(arrived at 7:10) Lynn Dubajic - YEDC APPROVAL/CORRECTION OF MINUTES None. TECHNOLOGY REVIEW Chairman Munns stated that he asked the city's department heads what type of technology they had and what they would like to have in the future. Alderman Kot asked who is primarily handling computer questions for the City. Ms. Batterson stated that in the past she handle many of the problems but now her time is more limited so each department has identified someone to help out. There is no administrator for the system. The Committee discussed how the computers were originally set up and problems with the network and software. These issues had to be addressed with the software vender and the company(Micro City)that installed the network. It took several months for the system to become reliable. The City hired Software Performance Specialists, Inc. (SPS), who is a Certified Novell Network Administrator, and they worked through the problems with the software venders for the accounting and police reporting software. The new accounting software now matches the network system. The Police Department(PD) is looking at upgrading their recording software. Ms. Batterson noted that they are looking at a county-wide software reporting system which Kendall County is already using. The county received a grant and is hosting the cities of Plano, Oswego and Yorkville. The PD is hoping to join in the network in the next budget year. The system will allow the PD to share information county-wide however this cannot be done through dial-up. The PD needs a solid infrastructure before anything else is done. The City's current Technology Plan was discussed. Copies were distributed to the Committee members. It was prepared by SPS and it assessed the City's current software and hardware,presented long and short-term goals and addressed internet access. Several other companies contacted the City regarding computer consulting services when they heard the Council had passed a Technology Plan. The companies were given information as to what the City felt it needed to build a strong technological foundation and they in turn presented proposals for consulting services. Copies of the proposals were distributed to the Committee. Staff met with three of the four companies and prepared a review of their proposals(outlined in a memo from Finance Director Pleckham). SPS has also Page 2 of 2 offered to review them and give an opinion. Administrator Graff suggested that that the staff could do an analysis of the offers and investigate financing. Other items discussed were: • Lack of security with the current system. They discussed viruses and outside access to the system. Ms. Batterson stated that currently there is no way for someone from the outside to get into the City's system. Security was addressed in the Technology Plan. • Allocation of funds to upgrade the current system. The Committee discussed that they were comfortable allocating funds but felt that updated polices to correspond with the technology needed to be in place. The new employee handbook addresses some issues including an internet policy. It was suggested that other communities be contacted to see what policies they have. They discussed identity theft and security measures to prevent this. • The need for a Tl line. The City was supposed to connect to the library's Tl line however the City was not eligible to connect with the Century 21 system the. library uses. Recently a new bill was passed which now allows the City to hook up through the library for approximately $187.00/month. The library can order a second line so that City Hall/PD could have a separate line from them. The cost for the City's internet provider was discussed along with the cost of dedicated telephone lines. Ms. Batterson indicated that the County and Oswego are currently using a T 1 line, larger communities such as St. Charles and Geneva are using EGovernment and Plano is using broadband. • Connecting all the City employees by e-mail. They agreed that this was priority. • Virtual Private Networks (VPN). Ms. Batterson explained that this allows employees to access their files from home. It creates a tunnel that allows a direct connection while being shielded from outside sources. They discussed the benefits of this. Also discussed was the use of roaming profiles so that wherever an employee logs in such as the Beecher Center, Parks Building, etc.,they can log into the system and access their desktop at any other computer. • The need for the City to have its own IT Director. • The Committee discussed the costs outlined in Mrs. Pleckham's July 29, 2003. The lowest proposal was received by E2 Services but it did not include the cost of a Tl line. The consensus of the Committee was that funding needed to be spent to update the City's computer system. It was decided that the Committee members would review the information received at the meeting, SPS would review the proposals and Mrs. Pleckham would research financing and prepare a spreadsheet showing the phasing of the project for the next ad hoc meeting. They agreed that it was a priority to connect everyone in the city by e-mail. The next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, August 20, 2003 at 6:30 P.M. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 P.M. Minutes respectfully submitted by: Jackie Milschewski, City Clerk