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IT director Mark Morris details cybersecurity, server and GIS plans for Joplin City
Summary
IT Director Mark Morris told the Joplin City Council on July 7 that the city is completing a VoIP and CCTV server upgrade, expanding networked sites and preparing a collaborative Esri Advantage program for GIS; officials also discussed funding a proposed assistant IT director slot.
Mark Morris, the city’s IT director, told the Joplin City Council on July 7 that the Information Technology Department has completed a Voice-over-IP upgrade, replaced aging CCTV servers with a new system holding roughly 90 terabytes of video storage, and is preparing a collaborative GIS initiative with the vendor Esri.
Morris framed the briefing as an overview of staffing and systems after two decades in the department. He said the department’s active-directory user count rose from about 500 in 2023 to roughly 550 in 2024 by Microsoft metrics and that in‑house counts, which include service accounts, are approaching 600. He noted ongoing work to replace laptops on a roughly five- to six-year cycle, and that ruggedized laptops issued to public-safety personnel grew from about 79–83 to roughly 135 units.
Why it matters: Morris said upgrades are tied to public-safety operations, remote access, asset management and planned city projects — including the online building permit system and an anticipated website relaunch — and will affect recurring budget lines.
Morris described plans to adopt Esri’s Advantage arrangement for GIS, which he said would include annual coordination between his team and other departments to set shared priorities and determine infrastructure needs. He also listed recent and planned investments: continued rollout of time-and-attendance and asset-management software, ongoing expansion of networked city sites, and increases in licensing and system costs tied to three major systems added this year.
Council member Coppell asked whether the city planned to upgrade an existing post or create a new assistant IT director position. Edwards, speaking for administration, said city staff and Morris prefer creating a wholly new assistant director role but have struggled to find funding; he said hoped-for savings from a cybersecurity contract did not materialize and that the position may be considered in this year’s or next year’s budget.
Morris said he expects to return with a formal council bill later in the process. The mayor and council thanked Morris for the report; the informal session then moved to the Parks and Recreation update.
