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City IT requests $27M for modernization and AI readiness; council asks for salary detail
Summary
Deputy Chief IT Augustine Batin presented a nearly $28 million IT operations budget focused on infrastructure, cybersecurity and AI-enabled services; councilmembers asked for a position-by-position salary breakdown and for details on how AI investments affect staffing.
Augustine Batin, Deputy Chief of IT, presented the Department of IT's FY27 operating request (about $27 million) and said the funding would support modernization of infrastructure, stronger cybersecurity and expanded digital services for residents and staff, including training at libraries and community centers.
"We are trying to improve our infrastructure also enable our infrastructure so that we can support more AI enabled projects," Batin said, adding that the department plans to provide licenses and training to staff and council offices.
Several councilmembers probed why personnel costs rise while the department moves toward more AI-enabled services. Batin said the department's analysis shows AI will augment rather than replace staff: "AI is going to augment what they do but not replace what they do.... we need the human in the loop." He agreed to provide a breakdown of the roughly $755,000 in salary increases and details on contractor vs. permanent hires.
Batin also noted continuing upward pressure from software licensing, hardware procurement and consulting needs. The department reported FY26 uptime and help-desk performance targets were met and said new investments aim to keep critical applications stable.
Next steps: IT agreed to provide council members with a position-level salary and compensation breakdown and a more detailed list of the $20+ million in software and M&S drivers.
