Olean finance committee hears IT capital requests: cameras, servers and wireless upgrades proposed

The Olean finance committee reviewed departmental budget details and IT capital requests March 25 as the city prepares the 2025–26 budget.

An IT department head told the committee the department’s personnel-services line fell by 48 percent because of staffing changes and several nonpersonnel lines stayed largely unchanged. The presentation then listed four primary capital items the department recommends: replacement of the security camera server, upgrading roughly 20 analog cameras to digital and adding one camera to cover the Berry Street roundabout, replacement of the main data server and replacement of 10 wireless access points (APs) throughout the city building.

On the security-camera items the IT presenter said the server that stores camera video is eight years old, cannot be upgraded beyond Windows 10 and needs replacement; the presenter added that an officer who routinely pulls video has to reboot the server about every two weeks. The presenter described a one-time cost of $13,000 to upgrade 20 analog cameras to digital and to add the additional roundabout camera.

The presenter described the main data server as four to five years old, out of support and “pretty important” because it backs up day-to-day data; the stated replacement cost in the presentation was $21,000. For wireless, staff proposed replacing 10 access points at a combined replacement and installation cost of $4,000 and said the new APs would reduce annual maintenance costs by roughly $1,000.

Committee members asked about available balances in the computer equipment line; the presenter said the actual to date through the current period was $902 and that roughly $6,500 remained in that line. Committee discussion noted that if funds were immediately available some replacements might be possible this fiscal year, but staff said procurement timelines and current commitments could constrain spending.

The IT presenter also said maintenance contract costs were up roughly 2.8 percent and that the travel and training line had been cut from $2,500 to $1,500. Committee members suggested exploring different vendors and noted the city had received grants for cybersecurity (CrowdStrike) recently.

Ending: The committee recorded no formal vote on the IT capital items in the provided transcript; staff said updated year-to-date numbers in March would clarify potential mid-year spending options.