City IT leaders on Tuesday presented the Technology Replacement Plan (TRP) for fiscal year 2027, a multi-department replacement schedule intended to keep computers, servers, specialized lab instruments and communications systems current and secure.

Jeff Sprock, the city's newly appointed IT director, told council that the FY27 TRP proposes roughly $1.03 million in total investment, with about 56% capital expenses and 44% O&M. "This plan represents a disciplined, forward-looking approach to maintaining reliable and secure technology across the city's operations," Sprock said, describing a cross-departmental committee that inventories assets and prioritizes replacements.

Damon Combs, IT application manager, outlined the scope: the plan refreshes 63 office PCs and adds 62 laptops to support mobile work; updates tablets, network switches and a small number of servers; replaces a Mitel phone system and certain lab instruments used for water-quality testing; and includes a SCADA server replacement identified as high priority. Combs said the TRP also relies on a redeployment or "hand-me-down" approach so replaced assets can be moved to lower-demand uses (kiosks, community centers) rather than discarded.

Council questions focused on O&M variability, major future spikes (public-safety radios and potential enterprise software replacements), and cybersecurity readiness. Sprock said most O&M costs come from smaller purchases under $10,000 (computers and peripherals) and are relatively stable. He also said the city is near the end of an external security audit and is actively investing in cybersecurity tools and policies. On AI, Sprock reported that an administrative-level AI policy was approved and that staff have been testing generative tools and investigating agent-style bots for internal use.

Why this matters: Keeping aging IT systems current reduces the risk of operational failures and cybersecurity incidents. The TRP aims to smooth replacements and align departmental needs with predictable funding, while keeping capital spikes visible so they can be staged or aligned with grants.

What's next: The TRP will be considered as part of the broader budget process. Staff indicated some large items in later years are placeholders and could be phased into different years to avoid concentrated spikes in capital spending.