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Council approves 2025–2031 information technology strategic plan; staff to fund initial investments from $5 million set-aside
Summary
The Thousand Oaks City Council on Jan. 28 voted 5-0 to approve an Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2025–2031 that staff said will replace a 30-year-old ERP, create a standalone IT department and begin 34 initiatives to modernize city systems.
The Thousand Oaks City Council on Jan. 28 voted 5-0 to approve the city’s Information Technology Strategic Plan covering fiscal years 2025–2031, a multi-year roadmap that staff said will modernize city systems, consolidate data and create a standalone IT department.
Deputy Finance Director Carrie Mattson, the plan’s lead presenter, said the ITSP contains 34 initiatives and proposed a shift from an IT division within finance to a full standalone IT department with two divisions: Technology Services and Innovation and Data Services. “To achieve the city's technology vision, implementing a modern ERP system will transform core functions, integrate workflows, and incorporate automation,” Mattson said.
The plan calls for replacing the city’s enterprise resource planning system, consolidating databases, upgrading legacy phone systems, advancing GIS and AI tools and completing an Enterprise Permitting and Licensing (EnerGov/EPL 2.0) implementation. Staff said the roadmap was sequenced to respect project interdependencies and staff capacity.
City staff recommended and council accepted incorporating year 1 and year 2 investments into the fiscal 2025–27 budget process and highlighted a one-time funding set-aside of $5,000,000 to help pay initial costs. Mattson said a “year 0” in fiscal 2024–25 was included to build foundational efforts already underway.
Council members asked about metrics and accessibility. Mattson said the ITSP includes an overhaul of the city’s performance measurement program and a data management plan to improve cross-departmental use of information. Council Member Engler asked whether the plan would yield measurable service improvements; Mattson said performance measures will be updated to track progress. Council Member Adam asked whether the ITSP would inform planning for a proposed new city hall; staff said the plan is already being considered in building design discussions.
Mayor Pro Tem Taylor moved to approve the staff recommendation, and the motion passed 5-0.
Staff said next steps include incorporating the plan’s near-term investments into upcoming budget study sessions and public hearings and initiating a competitive recruitment process for executive-level IT positions. The plan also recommends enterprise licensing for key systems to unlock data for broader use across city departments.
