LC Maintenance and Schools Facilities Committee
Interview with Scot Sharlow and Dennis Lawler, GIS and Technology Department:
June 8, 2009, 9:00 am.
LC Members Present: Dan Amaral, Jan Brookes, Pat Llodra,
Board of Finance: Jim Gaston
Guests: LeReine Frampton, Robert Merola
One member of the press
The T &GISD provides project management and technological as well as mapping support for all town departments, subcontractors and the public. The department provides hardware and software support, project management, vendor quotations and purchasing. … The TD has implemented network security and connectivity among buildings. These network systems provide a means of geographically disconnected facilities to communicate and share information. Within this system, the GIS provides a central portal to query and maintain the town’s various databases and data storehouses. The GIS has provided productivity and information sharing among town departments, and has provided map making support for the departments and the public.
Town of Newtown Budget 2009-2010
Selectman’s Budget – Page 36
The Technology and Geographic Information Systems Department (T & GISD) was created in 2002 within the Board of Education (BOE) Technology Department. The Town reimbursed the BOE for 100% of the GIS Coordinator, 80% of a Technology Specialist, and 10% of the District Technology Manager. Since October, 2007, the T &GISD has been in the Town budget. However, the T & GISD is physically located within the BOE TD at the Middle School and will share a common space when Bridgeport Hall opens. Both departments share a secretary. She is paid by the BOE; however, the Town reimburses the BOE for one hour of her time a day. Although the technology purchasing needs of the schools and the town are different and both departments are financially separate, members of each department share
parts to repair broken equipment and discuss solutions to problems.
The GIS & TD has a staff of three; Scott Sharlow, Dennis Lawler, and Alicia Messier. Half of the director’s time and all of Alicia Messier’s time is spent maintaining the GIS system. Mr. Lawler is the department’s man in the field.
The department’s budget for 2009-2010 is $292, 048.
The following is a partial list of ways the Town uses GIS information. It aids
1. the tax assessor in evaluating properties.
2. the Public Works Department (PWD) in mapping catch basins to create a cycle of cleaning and repair..
3. in creating an inventory of street signs. The road signs project is especially important when police fill out accident reports.
4. in abutment notifications to make that process faster and more accurate.
5. town departments such as Park and Rec (P & R) and the PWD which do the actual work on projects.
6. in verifying wetlands.
7. in locating septic systems and wells.
8. in mapping dangerous intersections.
GIS data was also used as a basis for the Build-out Study, curb cut analysis, intersection redesign, and to complete the Queen Street Traffic Study.
While the public pays for GIS generated maps and services, town projects do not.
The town’s GIS data has been used as a portion of matching grants in lieu of dollars on certain town projects. The town receives cost savings on numerous projects that otherwise would require outside technology and mapping support.
Because the functions and needs of every town department vary widely, each one has its own data system. The Technology Department has tried to standardize on Microsoft SQL Server. However, that proved to be difficult because each department deals with different vendors. For example, the Assessor’s Office uses MSSQL as a database, but is changing to Vision Appraisla which uses Oracle as a database. Even so, the town’s GIS connects to department’s data bases, using ODBC drivers and the like, allowing town departments to access the information collected and stored by other departments.
The Technology Committee meets the second Thursday of each month. Its members include one representative from every town department. Various subcommittees study particular technology problems and make recommendations. The BOE isn’t represented on this committee because their technology needs are so different. For example, no town department has to schedule classes. In addition, schools can use the Connecticut Education Network (CEN) which is provided by the state Board of Education. However, town governments aren’t allowed to access it because some information about students is confidential. Splitting the network provides an extra measure of security. Mr. Sharlow believes that municipalities should have access to a similar statewide system.
When town departments and the BOE Central Office move into Bridgeport Hall, they will share the same phone system, but reimbursement for its use from the state will be difficult to determine. A separate software application running on the phone system is being considered to ensure that billing is addressed. Maureen Will in the NECC (Newtown Emergency Control Center) has reviewed all phone lines in town departments, and has coordinated with technology to get a better handle on the phone bill. The town is looking to move forward with a VOIP (Voice Over Internet protocol that was developed to provide phone services over a computer network) solution that could reduce the need for separate phone systems and potentially reduce phone expenses. All phone lines will be immediately upgraded. For
example, the PWD could go from using 20 dedicated DID lines to four, two for emergencies and two for analog back-up. This will reduce the overhead for phones dramatically.
At the present time Park and Rec has the most up-to-date network infrastructure for their on-line program. Because it allows for residents to register and pay for P & R programs on-line using a credit card, the firewall requirements on this program are high and restricted by banking standards. The move to Bridgeport Hall in conjunction with the Fiber-Wide Area Network implementation will also create the same quality of interconnectivity for all town departments. Mr. Sharlow commented that since 2002, Newtown has spent only $7,000 on internetworking, with the gross majority going towards the Park and Rec implementation. He commented that the move to Bridgeport Hall is a means to upgrade the network to provide better access and security for the town data.
The Town and BOE Technology Departments use the Track-It Software to keep a record of work orders. This system inputs information such as date, kind of service, who did it, how long it took, parts replaced, etc. If the system is kept up to date, the departments will be able to track the maintenance history of a particular piece of equipment. This data will be especially useful to justify purchases of new technology equipment and reviewing work orders in individual departments. Although the town doesn’t use the inventory part of the system, the BOE maintenance department does.
When Mr. Sharlow was first appointed the director of the T &GISD, individual departments were buying their own technology equipment that included high priced maintenance agreements. The T &GISD has been able to upgrade the quality of computers and printers and perform hardware repairs in house, saving the town money. One initiative that the TD has worked on is the reduction of printers in departments. Since it’s less expensive in the long run, both Mr.. Sharlow and Mr. Lawler have been working to convince departments to use a single central business grade printer that they share. This reduces cost per print in ink and toner, and makes it easier for the TD to manage hardware. However, it’s hard to convince people that every computer doesn’t need its own
printer.
Mr. Sharlow believes that a town wide purchasing agent won’t help him because he would still have to create the specs and that’s what is time consuming Since many of his department’s projects are small, having to go through a purchasing agent would slow the completion of the department’s projects. He would like his department to continue to have the flexibility to purchase items it needs in a timely fashion. For all purchases he receives four bids, and is generally able to beat state contract pricing. One reason for higher prices on the state contracts for some technology purchases is that the state isn’t able to take advantage of special offers and cost savings associated with regular technology obsolescence. State contract pricing often doesn’t
honor rebates as the vendors his department uses do.
Mr. Sharlow said that in six months the Town will make a big leap in the use of technology. New programs will be purchased and installed to process and track work orders, and upgrade the financial and police data systems. The system envisioned is GIS centric in that the permit and work orders are directly tied to the GIS. This type of system will provide a central online portal for the public and town employees. The police department in particular will be revamping Dispatch and Law Enforcement Records Management software and hardware. The current police system is based on the IBM I-Series AS400 platform. The police department is converting its computer operations to New World Systems Microsoft Platform. Police, Fire and EMS are tired together through dispatch which records
incidents. Once data bases are connected, there will be an on-line town hall.
Mr. Sharlow commented that there are huge implementation hurtles because many people are afraid of change and failure. IT programs have to emerge from the departments and help them solve their problems. They have to understand how the system will benefit them in greater efficiency or a reduced work load. People in each department have to figure out how to use their department’s software program. This takes end-user training that his department often doesn’t have time to provide. He tells people to not be afraid to break the system, because he can always fix it. However, if workers want to be trained in how to use a particular program, the T & GISD partners with New Horizons in Shelton to train people. The cost is $240 a person per day, although discounted rates and
coupons usually reduce this price. Both Mr. Sharlow and Mr. Lawler are certified by Dell to repair Dell machines. This means they can order parts directly from the Dell website, saving time.
Both men are constantly looking for ways to reduce labor costs. For example, even when maintenance contracts run-out on computers, Mr. Sharlow and Mr.Lawler replace the parts from older computers. As new computers are purchased, older ones go to areas of town government that don’t have specialized computer needs. All assets are reused to get the most out of them. However, maintaining the efficiency of programs through the installation of updates can be time-consuming because not all updates apply to all town programs. That means they have to spend time doing specialty updates to individual programs.
Mr. Sharlow and Carole Ross, the Human Relations Director, are working on a policy that will control what’s on each computer and how various programs can be accessed. This policy addresses personal use of town IT equipment, password policy and restrictions, and data privacy. The current policy was put in place in 1999, and is in need of updating.
All computers used for 911 are replaced every three years because they are in operation 24/7. Computers taken out of the Emergency Communications Center are reused in other departments. This department has the quickest turnaround for computer purchases based on the mission of the department and critical status of the application.
The T & GIS D has a contract with Charter Communications to provide fiber connections from the police department to the EOC (Emergency Operations Center located in the old chiller building on the FFHs campus)), and the EOC to the PWD. There are plans to include Bridgeport Hall in this fiber network. Charter monitors the fiber network through their Network Operations Center and notifies the town when they see problems with connectivity. There is a concern that Charter is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but the T &GISD feels comfortable that this will not affect the town’s fiber infrastructure.
As Mr. Sharlow looks at the near future, he expects that the PWD will use hand held devices to initiate and complete work orders. This system will provide immediate efficiencies by –
· Reducing errors.
· Recording repairs of equipment and roads to highlight replacement or major reconstruction.
· Managing inventory.
· Tracking the number of hours a particular job takes to determine the real cost of the job
· Establishing the real cost of sharing workers.
· Exposing overlaps.
· Account for where workers are.
· Standardizing the permit system.
With regards to town vehicle usage, Mrs. Llodra commented that there is a need to provide a history of town owned vehicles and their record of repairs. This can be done using computer technology, but a system to track maintenance records is not in place. Since data for this could be easily available, this would help justify large purchases of equipment. For example, Fred Hurley made the case at the May 22ed LC Maintenance Committee meeting that heavier, more expensive vehicles save the town money, but he didn’t have data to support his claim. This program would provide the data.
When Bridgeport Hall opens, fiber connection between town departments and the BOE will be next to each other. If the need arises, this would allow the town and BOE to share certain types of data securely. One example would be the need for Bob Tait to be able to look at BOE finances, and technologically, he’ll be able to do that. Mr. Tait also wants town department heads to access the Munis Database themselves instead of passing paper for entering check requests and accessing budget information..
The state of Connecticut has a plan through OSET (Office of Security and Emergency Telecommunications, a state agency that oversees much of the public safety infrastructure) to provide fiber to all 911 PSAPs (Public Service Access Points, 911 centers). The town has tried to time the fiber contract with Charter to take advantage of this phased approach. Present status is unknown about this state project. The next phase will be to fiber all other emergency services which would include Bridgeport Hall. The town will create a fiber backbone for all data that will connect the town to the state and area businesses.
Mr. Sharlow suggested that the requirement that department heads support budget requests with data from their department’s program needs to come from elected officials. Mrs. LLodra added that doing so would help department heads because data supported requests “get the petitioner of the spot.”
Jan Brookes for the Committee
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