HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 Annual Report - Information and Technology Committeei
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Information and Technology Committee 2008 Annual Report
South Bend Common Council
Date: December 2, 2008
To: The South Bend Common Council
The Office of the City Clerk
From: 5~' District Council Member David Varner, Chairperson
Information and Technology Committee
I am submitting the following Annual Report of the activities of the Council's Information and
Technology Committee which is a requirement of § 2-10 (i) of the South Bend Municipal Code.
Duties: The Information and Technology Committee is charged with "overseeing the
various activities of the City's Division of Information Technologies in the Department of
Administration & Finance so that the City of South Bend remains competitive and on the cutting
edge of developments in this area. Reviewing and proposing upgrades to computer systems and
web sites, developing availability & access to GIS data and related tchnotogies are just some of
its many activities" pursuant to § 2-10 (i) (6) of the South Bend Municipal Code.
Members: There were four (4) Council Members on this Committee, namely: Tom
LaFountain who is the Vice-Chairperson, Karen L. White, Henry Davis, Jr., and myself.
Meetings: There have been two (2) committee meetings held to date, however some of the
Committee members along with Council President Rouse, Council Member Dieter, and myself
made an on-site visit to a local company to see first hand the latest in meeting room technology.
Activities: The Information and Technology Committee continued to work closely with
Public Works Director Gary Gilot on requests for proposals (RFPs) to assure that the regular
meetings of the South Bend Common Council would be tapped and aired. DVD and web page
compressed videos of the Council meetings resulted, which may be accessed 24/7 from the
Council's web page.
As a result of much research and discussion, the Common Council earmarked $28,000 for
technology upgrades to the Council Chamber and the Council's Informal Meeting Room which will
take place in 2009.
Recommendations for 2009: If I continue to Chair the Information and Technology
Committee in the new year, I would recommend that we focus upon:
Information and Technology Committee 2008 Annual Report
December 2, 2008
Page 2
• Receiving the best technology for the least cost to upgrade and meet the needs of upgrading
the meeting locations to better serve the public, the Council and those who make
presentations to the Council
• Discussing what the county and city may do jointly in the area of technology to assure fiscal
responsibility in this ever changing area requiring continuing upgrades
• Discussing in greater detail the possible earmarking of a portion of annual cable franchise
fees received by the City to assure that technology needs are timely addressed
• Discussing and monitoring the City Controller's recommendation to outsource many of the
services currently being performed by the City's IT Office in the Department of
Administration and Finance to assure that the City's website and technology offerings,
ongoing upgrades and needs are properly addressed
• Receiving more information on MetroNet and its offerings and overall operations
Thank you.
Respectfully submitted,
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Co cil Member David Varner, Chairperson
Information and Technology Committee
cc: Mayor Stephen Luecke
M. Catherine Fanello, City Controller
Gary Gilot, Public Works Director