HomeMy Public PortalAbout03-11-2010 Technology ReportTown of Watertown
President's Technology Committee
Report
March 23, 2010
The Technology Committee convened on March 11 at 1 pm in the Council Office.
Present were Councilor Cecilia Lenk, Councilor JD Donohue, Information Technology
Manager Joseph Mahoney, and the Town's Webmaster, Robert Erickson.
The Committee is tasked with developing a technology plan to enhance communications with
the citizens of Watertown and to improve the efficiency of the Council's work. This meeting
focused on identifying possible funding for the necessary equipment required to implement full
electronic access of council materials and to further refine its implementation plans.
IT Manager, Joe Mahoney reported that the town and the schools will consolidate their
Internet contract into a single town -wide contract, resulting in overall savings of $25-
30K as well as increasing the band -width.
Identify Funds for Council Equipment: Mr. Mahoney reported that the Town's
Information Technology Department has $20,000 in its FY10 budget which were
allocated for new laptops for department heads. He suggested that based on the
needs of the Town staff, these funds could be reprioritized to purchase the Town
Council equipment. The Technology Committee agreed with this reallocation of those
funds.
Laptops: The Technology Committee reviewed its plans and determined that 10
laptops only be purchased for the Councilors and Council Clerk; and that there was no
need for a spare computer. The total cost for each laptop will be $1807.00, including
hardware and required software licenses. It was noted that these laptops will be public
and are open to public viewing upon request.
Printing: The Technology Committee discussed the requirements for printing Council
documents both in the Council office and at Councilors' homes. It was determined that
the following would allow the Council Clerk and Councilors
• The printer formerly in the Council office will be replaced restoring the ability to
print from the Council office.
• Any councilor that needs a printer at home will be provided with an ink -jet
printer. It was estimated that only 2-3 Councilors would need this additional
equipment.
Internet and mobile access: Any Councilor that does not have a home Internet access
or a mobile access point will be provided a Sprint Air Card under the Town's mobile
plan.
Council business processes:
• Emails: Depending on Councilors' preferences, emails will still be forwarded to
personal email addresses as is done currently.
• A Council directory will be set up on an existing drive on the Town network.
This directory will include folders for individual Councilors, the Council Clerk,
Council subcommittees, budget information, and legal information. Additional
folders can be set up as required. All related documents and drafts will be
stored in the appropriate folders for access by the Councilors.
• Using a username and password, Councilors will sign into the Town network
and access documents. Councilors will follow all security and access policies of
the Town, as well as all Open Meeting regulations.
• All documents, including drafts, will be backed up daily under the Information
Technology department's normal operating procedures.
• The IT Manager will be the overall administrator of the system. The Council
Clerk will be responsible for maintaining the directory, folders and documents.
Legal requirements of public information: As required under Commonwealth law, we
will continue providing one printed copy of the Town Council's agendas and related
materials for the public in the Town Clerk's office. In addition, all materials will
continue to be posted to the Town's web site.
Training: All Councilors and the Council Clerk will be trained and provided with visual
instructions for ease of use of the system. Councilors may schedule one on one
instruction with Mr. Mahoney or Mr. Erickson.
Next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 25 at 5 pm in the Council Office.
Prepared by Cecilia Lenk and JD Donohue.