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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7.C.2. IT Staffing and Structure for 2014 & Beyond General Business 7. C. 2. SHAKOPEE TO: Mayor and City Council Mark McNeill,City Administrator FROM: Kris Wilson,Assistant City Administrator DATE: 09/02/2014 SUBJECT: IT Staffing and Structure for 2014&Beyond(B) Action Sought The Council is asked to discuss and provide direction on a proposal to establish a new IT Department within the City. Background The City's current IT structure consists of two full-time IT professionals—an IT Coordinator and an IT Specialist. They are part of the Administration Department and both report to the Assistant City Administrator. The IT Coordinator position is currently vacant due to staff turnover and we are having difficulty filling the position. This current opening and the need to fill it wisely is directly impacted by decisions about where the City is going with its IT services in the coming year and beyond. Therefore,the Council is asked to take a broader look at the City's IT staffing and structure, in the context of our current vacancy,the 2015 budget and beyond. Keeping up with the City's IT needs while having a two-person IT staff has been a challenge for the past several years and seems to have reached a breaking point in the past year. The Council has numerous goals and objectives, as do each of our individual Departments,which cannot be met without taking a markedly new approach to IT. Technology related projects need to be completed both faster and better if the City is going to keep up in the areas of customer service and service delivery. As was discussed at the August 19 City Council meeting,I strongly recommend that the City meet its core IT needs internally and contract out on a project by project basis only. In today's world,IT is absolutely critical to our daily operations and the expectations of our residents. An internal IT department can best meet these needs in a timely and integrated manner. Therefore,I am recommending that Council consider the creation of a full IT Department,with a department director reporting directly to the City Administrator. The proposed new department would consist of five full-time employees. The Department structure would be as outlined on Attachment A. Budget Impact The personnel costs of the proposed Department would be as follows: Current Structure Proposed IT Director $116,250.22 IT Coordinator $102,959.47 $102,959.47 IT Specialist $81,940.96 $81,940.96 IT Specialist $77,357.58 IT Assistant $59,995.53 TOTAL $184,900.43 $438,503.76 Difference $253,603.33 The City's IT Fund is traditionally used to pay for IT hardware and software,but not personnel costs. However, the Fund currently has a healthy cash position that would allow the City to temporarily deviate from past practice and utilize funds on hand to make the bold move to an IT Department now. The Finance Director and I recommend that 50%of the funds needed to implement this transition be included within the 2015 levy and the other 50%be paid for out of the cash position of the IT Fund. This will not be sustainable indefinitely,but will allow for the costs of a full IT Department to be gradually added to the tax levy over two or three years. Relationship to Vision This item relates to Goal B: Positively manage the challenges and opportunities presented by growth,development and change. Requested Action The Council is asked to discuss the proposed creation of an IT Department and provided feedback and direction to staff that will allow for the appropriate filling of the currently vacant position as well as the necessary allocation of resources in the 2015 budget. Attachments: Attachment A 0 / 2 ° / # . _ 1 / ° / t — 0_ a ° ul t \ S \ ® 7 cu g - . 2 [ @ 0 B — I— § \ 0 E \ o \ R \ / 0 E a m 7 2 _ / i / = 0 \ U @ & 6 \ / . 7 6 S o _ _ m c \ 0 L. \ } ƒ \ o ° « ° \ \ / / i d ƒ ) k ƒ 0 k / ( \ \ \ / 2 \ / ' o a. 3 o \ £ § k / { ) : E 2 u a ® I— Cu c @ \ E 8 \ & CC ƒ % ^ 0 0 \ CIJ c • a 2 $ \ o z / \ $ VI \ \ 7 $ / / m 0 0 \ / C ƒ a / / in cu _ c © 0 a f ) E 2 .\ \ a t — U t \ @ / » \ \ / . 2 \ • 7 c -,0. / 0 2 % / / / ) : U- V c \ m / 2 Z o