City council adopts administrative-code changes to clarify citywide IT and HR authority after public debate

Portsmouth City Council on Monday approved changes to Chapter 1 of the administrative code that clarify how the city’s human-resources and information-technology functions will operate across municipal and charter departments. The council adopted the ordinance on third and final reading after months of governance-committee meetings and public testimony, passing the measure 8–1 with Councilor Denton voting no. The ordinance update implements charter amendments voters approved earlier this year that directed a single HR structure and a consolidated approach to information-management technology for city government. City Attorney Susan Morrill told the council the draft “complies with your prior charter amendments,” and she said the amendments are intended to “complement and enhance” — not replace — the daily operations of charter departments such as the school and police departments. Supporters, including members of the governance committee and the city’s IT leadership, said the change is necessary to protect the city from escalating cybersecurity threats and to coordinate shared enterprise tools and purchasing. CIO Ryan Babcock (CIO) said the role focuses on “resource optimization, aligning our security policies and incident response across the entire city,” including water and sewer SCADA systems and school and police IT teams. Opponents — including the school superintendent, members of the school board and the chair of the police commission — argued the ordinance, as first written, risked undermining charter authority over education and police operations. Superintendent Zach McLaughlin urged the council to “reaffirm that educational IT decisions, curriculum tools, student data systems, classroom platforms remain under the authority of the school board,” while Kate Coyle, chair of the Police Commission, warned police technology needs (CJIS compliance, CAD/RMS uptime) remain specialized and require dedicated local expertise. The council adopted one last-minute amendment at third reading that narrowed a phrase that had drawn criticism. Assistant Mayor Kelly moved — and council approved — changing the phrase “operational efficiency” to read “operational efficiency of IT systems,” a change proponents said clarifies the scope. Council also approved a typographical correction to a statutory citation (RSA 21‑P:39) included in the code. The ordinance text preserved language recognizing “unique and specific” functions of charter departments and includes direction for staff coordination through standards, not wholesale operational control. The city attorney and CIO told the council they remain open to additional cooperative procedures and memoranda of understanding with charter departments if needed. Councilors who supported the measure said the action implements a change voters approved in February and responds to growing cybersecurity risks; dissenting councilors and several public commenters said they feared the change could erode locally elected boards’ authority and urged more negotiated language before final passage. The full amended Chapter 1 ordinance and the governance-committee memo are in the city packet; the council asked staff to continue outreach with charter departments on implementation details.