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Ad hoc committee reviews tech upgrades: Munis conversion, ARPA-funded chamber upgrades and proposed GIS analyst
Summary
Committee discussed the IT impacts of a completed Munis conversion (creating an annual maintenance cost), ARPA-funded council chambers audiovisual upgrades slated for May, and a proposal to hire an in-house GIS analyst to correct mapping errors and consolidate services.
Danbury City's budget ad hoc committee spent significant time on information-technology items, including a completed conversion to Munis, ARPA-funded audiovisual upgrades to council chambers and a proposal to bring GIS services in-house.
Technology staff told the committee the Munis conversion is complete and now generates an annual maintenance fee as part of ongoing operations. "We're very excited about that," the technology representative said, describing the conversion of payroll and finance systems into Munis and the shift to a recurring maintenance line.
Staff said the council chambers and other public meeting rooms will receive new screens, cameras and management software in May; that upgrade is an ARPA-funded project, and ongoing maintenance will move to an operating budget line that staff estimated could be negotiated at roughly $35,000 to $45,000 annually. A technology speaker clarified the May installation schedule and said the city will negotiate maintenance costs.
On GIS, staff described moving from a contracted GIS service to an internal GIS analyst who would maintain the city's public maps, correct duplicate or incorrect street names and integrate layers used by the tax assessor, dispatch and planning. "One thing we're undertaking now ... is fixing some of these duplicate street names and some errors," the technology representative said, adding that consolidating the work under one position should improve accuracy for emergency response and public-facing maps.
Committee members thanked technology and purchasing staff for managing ARPA projects and asked for future detail on maintenance contract negotiations and budgeted staffing. The proposed maintenance and new staffing costs will be considered as part of the overall general government budget being forwarded to the full council.
