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CR 99-95 Hire Information Technology Professional 1 y \ 0 CJ k May 18, 1999 ~ Council Report 99-095 .y <0 o P K \ ~ e HIRE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL Proposed Action Staff recommends adoption of the following: Move to hire an Information Technology professional to implement the changes recommended bv our consultants and to fulfill the needs of the city. Adoption of this motion will result in staff hiring an Information Technology professional to plan, coordinate and oversee the implementation of information technology systems. Overview Two years ago the city determined it was in need of professional assistance in regards to information technology. The question was what exactly did we need help with and how should we get that assistance? We hired a consultant to review our needs and recommend a solution to our problem. The consultants did a very thorough job and have outlined what our goals should be. They also reviewed four alternatives to solve our needs. Their final recommendation was to hire one or two IT professionals to implement the goals and plans established. e Staff than took all the recommendations and performed cost - benefit analysis on them. We discovered that temporary staff would cost about double in the short term, of what a permanent full time staff person would cost. We also discovered that hiring a consultant at halftime would cost approximately three times that of a permanent staff person. Primarv Issues to Consider . The city is in need of user support. . The city needs an individual with the expertise and time, to address long-term IT issues. . The cost of this position. . We have over $1,000,000 in information technology assets with no designated individual maintaining, servicing and upgrading our equipment or software. Staff Recommendation Finance recommends hiring an Information Technology professional to report to the Assistant City Manager under the direction of the City Manager. Supporting Documents . ~SiO~~ Lori Yager Finance Director The City is in need of user support . The most pressing need is for user support. In order to address any user problems some employee has to stop what he or she is doing and attempt to fix the problem. This interruption can be for minutes or hours. If help is not available then the problem goes unresolved until someone can get free. The City needs someone with the expertise and time to address longer-term issues The KPMG report specifies a number of areas where planning needs to be done. Most of these issues, such as security, disaster recovery, and the centralization of the IT budget would be addressed by the MIT Coordinator. More technical issues such as the actual process of the transferring from a Novell network to an NT network may require assistance from consultants. The cost of this position The wages of representative positions from other cities are attached. Assuming that someone could be hired for around $50,000 the total cost of this position would be approximately $64,000. The City is currently paying two employees $7,300 in additional compensation for their IT duties. This cost does not include the hours lost to their regular jobs. The City is also requiring e other employees to assist with IT. These hours are not tracked but the cost is considerable. Additional costs are also incurred whenever systems are not working. The 1999 budget included $60,000 to find a solution to the city's information technology issues. This $60,000 will remain an integral part of the budget process in the future. . . May 11, 1999 FURTHER ANALYSIS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION Staff was requested to investigate further the possibilities for solving the current information technology needs. Staff believes that the additional analysis supports Peat Marwick's conclusion that the City hire an MIS Coordinator. Staff seeks authorization to proceed with this hire. Peat Marwick presented its' recommendation for changes to our current information technology structure. y Hire one or two individuals to plan, coordinate and oversee the implementation of information technology systems. y Centralize the information technology budget for hardware, software and services. ~ Develop a three year information technology plan for applications, hardware, software and servIces. ~ Develop standards for hardware, software and applications. y Implement a train the trainer concept for Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publishing, Govern Systems, GIS and PACE Financial Systems. . Concerns of the Council in regards to the recommendation were: );> Costs involved in hiring an individual. );- Finding the right individual. ~ Hiring an individual for planning and implementation on a temporary basis and than hiring individual to maintain the system. );> Paying consultants to do the job. Attachments: . Attached you'll find staff analysis of council concerns. . Draft of MIS Coordinator job description . MIS Salary Survey . KPMG's Information Technology Assessment Project Final Report Lori Yager, Finance Director Jim Genellie, Assistant City Manager e ] . The City has a computer hardware and software investment in excess of $1.1 million dollars. To service that investment the City is currently using existing staff. This has resulted in a low overall user satisfaction (KPMG Report, page 8). This has also resulted in little work being done on long term planning, security, and disaster recovery. The City's current situation is analogous to having no mechanics and having public works employees work on the City's vehicles as they have time available. What options does the City have to address this problem? HIRE TEMPORARY We investigated the option of hiring a temporary employee for planning and implementation purposes. We talked with other cities and counties that have had to resort to this option and discovered the cost to be about double what the full time position cost was or is. If Hopkins was plaIming on hiring a full time permanent position at $50,000 a year, an individual hired on a temporary basis to perform designated tasks within a limited time frame would cost approximately $100,000 a year. This was the case in two situations that we contacted. The inflated cost is attributed to the short-term duration of the job. HIRE CONSULTANTS . Consultants are currently earning between $75 and $130 per hour for contracted number of hours. To hire a consultant at $75 per hour to be available four hours a day would cost approximately $78,000. FINDING THE RIGHT INDIVIDUAL We contacted a few cities of similar size to determine what the costs of their Information Technology resources were. Several cities have one to two full time individuals on board. The salaries ranged from approximately $38,000 to $60,000 depending on responsibilities and size of city. We feel we have an opportunity to find an individual to meet our needs at a cost of about $50,000. WHY A MIS COORDINATOR SHOULD BE HIRED The most pressing need is for user support. In order to address any user problems some employee has to stop what he or she isdoing and attempt to fix the problem. This interruption can be for minutes or hours. If help is not available then the problem goes unresolved until someone can get free. . 2 . While user support is the most pressing need, the City needs someone with the expertise and time to address longer-term issues. The KPMG report specifies a number of areas where planning needs to be done. Most of these issues, such as security, disaster recovery, and the centralization of the IT budget would be addressed by the MIT Coordinator. More technical issues such as the actual process of the transferring from a Novell network to an NT network may require assistance from consultants. The cost of this position is obviously a consideration. The wages of representative positions from other cities are attached. Assuming that someone could be hired for around $50,000 the total cost of this position would be approximately $64,000. The City is currently paying two employees $7,300 in additional compensation for their IT duties. This cost does not include the hours lost to their regular jobs. The City is also requiring other employees to assist with IT. These hours are not tracked but the cost is considerable. Additional costs are also incurred whenever systems are not working. The City, therefore is currently, spending money on IT support. The problem is that this money is not being spent efficiently. . e 3 . Position Title: MIS Coordinator Department: Administration Reports To: City Manager Salary Range: $42,000 - 56,900 INTRODUCTION The primary responsibility of this position is to provide technical and professional assistance for the City of Hopkins' information systems. Responsibilities include planning, network administration and troubleshooting computer related problems. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 1) Centralize IT budget for hardware, software, and services. 2) Develop three year IT plan for applications, hardware, software, and services. a) Reduce the number of platforms. b) Establish standards for hardware and software. c) Establish procedures and schedule for hardware and software upgrades d) Implement centralized software capabilities. . 3) Administer the Novell and NT Networks including procedure documentation, new user setup, security, training, management reporting, remote testing & setup, and system backups/restores. 4) Develop an IT security policy a) Virus protection and detection controls b) Password controls c) System security parameters d) Security administration procedures e) Security logging procedures 5) Prepare Backup and Recovery procedures a) Provide for a remote site storage location for back up tapes. b) Develop a disaster recovery plan. c) Test the disaster recovery plan at least annually d) Review the back up procedures to assure they provide the required retention guidelines. 6) I nstall software and hardware equipment 7) Coordinate hardware and software troubleshooting . a) Process user complaints b) Resolve less complex problems May, 1999 -- . c) Arrange for service on more complex problems 8) Develop and implement plan for "electronic" city hall a) Oversee City's web site b) Develop methods for on-line registration, scheduling, and license application c) Develop methods for electronic payment of bills 9) Coordinate efforts between departments to ensure an efficient, cost effective information system. 1 O)Perform needs assessments relating to equipment, software and training. 11 )Coordinate the purchasing of all computer systems and equipment. 12)Provide or arrange to provide on-going training to computer users on various software programs. OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Perform other duties as assigned. MINIMUM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE 1. Technical or college training in MIS/computer functions. . 2. Technical knowledge of microcomputer hardware and software applications. 3. Two years (4,000 hours) Microsoft NT network experience within the last four years. 4. Ability to lift 35 pounds. 5. Ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner, both orally and in writing. 6. Ability to explain and write technical procedures and system information in an easily understood and non-technical manner. HIGHL Y DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Certified Novell Network Administrator. 2. Certified Microsoft NT Administrator 3. Experience with UNIX operating systems 4. Knowledge of Internet access and WEB page development, 5. Local government work experience. . May, 1999 MIS SALARY SURVEY . City Title Salary or salary range Employees Supervised Apple Valley MIS Coordinator 47,400 - 54,000 Blaine MIS Coordinator 56,232 Burnsville MIS Coordinator 48,660 - 61,824 1 Chanhassen MIS Coordinator 40,872 - 61,296 (1998) Coon Rapids MIS Coordinator 41,748 - 63,936 (1998) Eagan IT Director 65,000 1 Eagan IT Assistant 50,000 Minnetonka MIS Coordinator 41 ,300 - 45,893 Robbinsdale IT Coordinator 41,100 - 54,080 Shoreview MIS Coordinator 42,000 Woodbury MIS Coordinator 44,600 - 48,800 . .