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City will defer scheduled PC replacements, shift to repair-and-redeploy model; Macs remain agency-funded option
Summary
Technology Services said it will not conduct scheduled computer replacements in 2026 and will instead repair or reimage existing machines, use recovered devices from staff abolishments and stock purchased components to extend device life; staff warned the approach is not sustainable past seven years.
Technology Services told the Denver City Council that it will defer planned PC replacements for 2026, move to a repair-and-redeploy strategy and rely on stocked components and recovered devices to keep employees productive.
Chris Todd, chief technology officer, said the department used capital funding this year to purchase spare components and stock that should sustain repairs through 2026 and into part of 2027. He described a “break‑fix” approach: components such as batteries, memory and hard drives would be replaced rather than routinely issuing new machines.
Todd said a typical city laptop costs about $1,600, while many component repairs can be done for less than $100. He added that roughly half of the city’s fleet remains under vendor warranty and that Technology Services also plans to reissue devices recovered through recent abolishments and layoffs.
Suman Lalapati said the department expects repair volumes to increase as machines age and that the strategy is likely sustainable for the near term but not indefinitely. Deputy CIO Paul Creston and Chris Todd noted that, in the government sector, a five-year replacement cadence is common and that meaningful failure rates commonly rise after seven years.
Councilmembers raised concerns about productivity impacts, chargers and peripheral failures, and how the city handles staff who prefer Macs. Todd said employees may purchase Macs using their agency funds, but supporting two platforms increases overall cost and requires different security controls and processes.
Technology Services told councilmembers it does not expect technicians’ response times to change but that the duration a device might be in for repair could increase; staff said they expect some longer repair turnaround as the fleet ages.
Ending: Technology Services said the repair-and-redeploy plan is a near-term step to preserve funding; the department will continue to monitor failure rates and report back to councilmembers on repairs, warranty levels and projected replacement timelines.
