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City launches digital assistant, dashboards and unified payment work as IT centralizes software costs
Summary
IT and communications leaders described FY26 projects: Jackie 2 (upgraded digital assistant), expanded public dashboards, an open data portal, unified payments (with options to avoid credit‑card fees), and movement of many department software subscriptions into a centralized tech fund with chargebacks to departments.
City IT and communications staff outlined FY26 priorities to centralize software management, expand digital services, and increase two‑way public communications.
Digital services and Jackie 2: George Eskander, the city’s chief information officer, described an upgraded digital assistant (“Jackie 2”) that will provide voice and chat support online and by phone to help residents submit requests and complete transactions 24/7. Staff said Jackie 2 will help triage routine inquiries so staff can focus on higher‑complexity tasks.
Dashboards, open data and AI: staff said they will expand public dashboards for capital projects, budget and performance metrics and will create a public open‑data portal for non‑sensitive city data. IT staff also plan to pilot AI tools for long‑term planning, automated review of RFPs and video analysis (for pavement and sign condition), and a digital twin for infrastructure scenario testing.
Payments and fees: staff described a unified payment system initiative and discussed expanding payment options that avoid credit‑card processing fees for residents (e.g., bank drafts or in‑person payments). Presenters said the city currently absorbs significant card fees—staff estimated about $85,000 per month for utility billing—and that a plan will be developed to preserve free payment options for customers who do not want to pay card fees.
Software centralization and technology fund: staff described a planned transfer of roughly $1.4 million in existing departmental software contracts into a centralized IT (tech) fund. The move is intended to improve purchasing, ensure consistent service levels, and create a contingency reserve. Departments will be charged back (with a percentage overlay) for the services they use; staff said the change is already reflected in departments’ FY26 budgets.
Communications and outreach: strategic communications said it will continue to grow social media reach, expand geo‑targeted alerts (Alert Midland) for outages and road closures, relaunch a city newsletter, expand video production under 60 seconds, and pursue targeted outreach to underserved audiences. Staff also said they will begin collecting automated customer‑satisfaction surveys linked to closed tickets and transactions through Qualtrics.
Why it matters: officials said centralizing software and improving online services should produce recurring savings, better project transparency and faster resident access to city services.
