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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 Annual Report - Information and Technology SOUTH 2015 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE OF THE SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL Pursuant to § 2-10 of the South Bend Municipal Code, the following 2014 Annual Report of the Information and Technology Committee is filed which briefly highlights some of the activities and projects which took place this calendar year. Duties: The Information and Technology Committee is charged with"overseeing the various activities of the City's information technologies so that all computer systems, websites, and related technologies are maintained and upgraded so as to remain competitive and up-to-date with current industry standards" pursuant to § 2-10 (i) 6) of the South Bend Municipal Code. Committee Members: There were four(4) members on this Committee this year: Council Member Gavin Ferlic who served as Chairperson; Dr. David Varner who served as Vice-Chairperson; Council Member at Large Karen L. White who served as a committee member; and 3rd District Council Member Valerie Schey who served as a committee member. Meetings and Activities: To date,there have been three(3)committee meetings held. Some of the topics addressed included: • Reviewing the accomplishments of 2014 and discussing goals and objectives for 2015 which included but was not limited to: assessing technology in its many forms in order to assign its applicability to Council work; proving information which would make local government more transparent and responsive to citizens; and continued discussions regarding "best practices" regulations governing city-owned technologies, Facebook standards and social networking policies and procedures. • Reviewing and approving an Information & Technology Committee brochure which would be made available online from the SBCC website as well as from the City Clerk's Office • Reviewing Bill No. 15-06 which would delay indefinitely the implementation of an ordinance which established policies for Council Members when using city-owned technologies for social media in light a federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU • Receiving an update from the City Administration on implementation, payment and tracking of ordinance citation payments 2015 Information and Technology Committee Annual Report Page 2 • Discussion of Bill No. 15-103 which would encourage the city to study the feasibility of implementing a local public polling system—continued by the SBCC to December 14,2015 SBCC meeting In light of four(4)new Council Members joining the Common Council,there is a need to schedule training sessions to be conducted by the City's IT Division; and also to establish periodic training sessions for all Council Members and Council staff as technology upgrades are made. The goal of implementing a paperless legislative system continues to be a top priority. It will require continued collaboration the City Administration throughout the new year. Improving public access to all meeting minutes of the Common Council and its Standing Committees on a timely basis will also require discussions with the members of the Office of the City Clerk. Updating the Common Council's website on a regular and consistent basis should also be a top priority to enhance greater outreach and transparency of the operations and transactions of the South Bend Common Council. Through ongoing collaboration with the City Administration and the Office of the City Clerk,2016 should be a great year for more enhanced opportunities made available through improved technologies. Respectfully submitted, Council Member Gavin Ferlic, Chairperson Information and Technology Committee South Bend Common Council Filed( in Clerk's Office GEC ; 1 Cu 1. i JOHN V00140E CITY CLERK,SOUTH BEND, NV