CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
WEEKLY MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor MacLean, Councilors and Department Heads
FROM: Jeffrey Kobrock, City Manager
DATE: January 12, 2007
RE: Weekly Memo
Meetings for the Week of January 15, 2007
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Mon., Jan. 15
City Council Weds., Jan. 17, 6:00 pm, City Hall
Cobbossee Corridor Committee Thurs., Jan. 18, 5:00 pm, City Hall
Council Schedule
January 17 newly elected members are invited to an orientation at 6 PM. Incoming and outgoing Councilors/Mayors will gather at 7 PM for a work session with consultant Pam Plumb. We will have a business meeting January 24, and right now it looks like our next meeting will be the regular February meeting on the 7th.
Technology Plan
Implementation of the City’s ambitious technology upgrade continues to leap ahead by giant steps. The new network is built, tested and operable. Migration to the network continues in an incremental fashion so as to minimize risk and disruption. We have booted up our first “thin client” workstation, which slashes upfront acquisition and set up costs by $600 or more per installation and reduces ongoing maintenance costs to essentially zero over the life of the unit. Additionally, replacement costs are virtually inconsequential. The thin client life span is in essence open ended as opposed to the generic three year life span of a traditional workstation as mechanical parts and processor capacity no longer limit functionality.
In addition to hardware milestones, the purchasing module of Unifund went live with the January 3 warrant, starting a real paradigm shift in the City’s purchasing process. The new software will allow a decentralized approach to many accounting functions, vastly streamlining and strengthening current systems, purchasing being the initial focus. In a real statement of confidence, we will be using the Unifund software for the FY 08 budget process within the next ten days.
This is a very challenging and exciting time for staff, and the smooth transitions we are experiencing is a real tribute to the flexibility, desire to learn and dedication to teamwork that City personnel prides itself on.
In this packet:
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