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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 01 Council Communication Options Meeting Date: Meeting Type: Department: Staff Contact: Staff Phone No: Estimated Time: April 2, 2007 Work Session Information Technology Rod Lathrop 736-1025 20 minutes AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL ITEM TITLE: COUNCIL COMMUNICA nON OPTIONS ACTION REQUESTED: Review the attached Issue Paper. Provide direction to staff regarding desired options. City Council direction can be incorporated into the preparation of the FY08 budget. ISSUE STATEMENT: The City engages in primarily paper-based communications with the Mayor and City Council. There is no mechanism for the City to send electronic mail, electronic meeting notifications, online agenda packets or electronic documents to elected officials. This hampers the ability of the City to communicate with elected leadership during the conduct of regular business, and could be a constraint during an emergency. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Council COInn?unications Issue Paper February 23, 2007 DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMP ACT: Staff communication with elected officials was raised as an issue during the December 4, 2006 City Council Emergency Management work session. Options were presented and discussed at a Council Work Session on February 5, 2007. Subsequent two-on-two meetings were held with elected and appointed City leadership. These follow-up meetings have informed four options for enhancing . communication between the City of Springfield and top elected leadership: 1. Status Quo, no new capabilities, no additional costs; 2. Cel1/Internet allowance of $45 per month, to reimburse elected leadership for using their personal cell phones and Internet resources for city business. Costs $3,780 per year. 3. Furnish Smartphones and wireless service to interested Elected Officials. Other Councilors would receive the $45 monthly cellJInternet allowance. Cost would be $6,452 the first year; 4. Option Four would add a laptop computer to the solutions identified in Option Three. First year costs would be $8,452. CITY OF SPRINGFIELD Date: To: From: Subject:" "Febriiary23,2007 Gino Grimaldi Rod Lathrop Council Communications ISSUE The City has recently examined technology options for enhancing communications with Springfield Elected Leadership. All Councilors have beeIl interviewed, and have received an orientation concerning capabilities for wireless communications, pocket PCs, Smartphones and laptop computers. The outcomes of these interviews is as follows: . · .. Many City Councilors use pt;rsonal cell phones and computers for City business, without being reimbursed; · . It is often difficult to maintain a unified calendar to manage their personal, business and City appointments and commitments; · Important e-mail communications and electronic appointments are often not available in a timely manner. This ISsue Paper identifies solutions for enhancing electronic communications between Springfield elected leadership and City Hall. OPTIONS 1. Maintain the status quo. Springfield Elected Officials will continue to utilize their personal resources to communicate with City Hall. The City will continue to try to reach the City Council and Mayor via cell phones or land lines during emergencies. 2. Provide a cell phone allowance and Intemetallowance to Elected Officials, to off-set the personal cost of electronic communications used for Council business and emergency communications. 3. FUrnish Smartphones and wireless data service to interested Elected Officials. This would enable Council and Mayor to communicate via cell phone or wireless e-mail with City Hall for Council business and emergency communications. Option 3 provides a real time tool for managing personal, work and City appointments and schedules. 4. Acquire laptop computers for interested Elected Officials. Make electronic Council Agenda packets available. This would enable individuals to familiarize themselves with Council Agenda packets, when physically away from access to the traditional paper agenda packet. ~DISCUSSION/FINANCIAL IMPACTS Option I Status Quo has no additional direct cost to the City. The City would continue to communicate with the City Council primarily via land line telephones and utilize paper Council Attachment 1 Page 1 of3 Agenda packets. Option 2 would provide a $45. monthly allowance to those Elected OfficIals who use their personal cell phones, personal computers and Internet resources for City business. This would provide a fairly reliable means of cOInmunicating during an emergency, and is a fair reimbursement of personal expenses. If all Elected Officials chose this option the cost per year would be $3,780 per year. Oprio~ 3 furnishes each interested Elected Official with a Smartph6ne (or Poc~et PC) and wireless service. In addition to providing cell phone communications, the Smartphone would enable Elected Officials to manage appointments and receive wireless e-mail. Costs per unit range from $200 - $500. Mpnthly service agreements cost about $69. Four Elected Officials have expressed interest in a Smartphone. The one-time cost for equipment would be $1,520. The ongoing costs offourSmartphone service agreements and three Cellular/Internet allowances for those Councilors who did not choose to get a Smartphone would be $4,932 per year. Total first year costs with equipment would be $6,452. Option 4 envisions the solutions identified in Option 3, plus it provides a laptop computer for one Councilor who would like the ability to review Council Agenda Packets and other materials electronically, especially when traveling. One time equipment costs for Option 4 would be . $3;520. Monthly costs would be $4,932, with the same service as in Option 3. Total first year . costs with equipment would be $8,452. OPTION EV ALVA TION OPTION 1 Option 1 is the status quo option. OPTION 2 . Option 2 could provide better communications between City Hall and the Elected Officials especially during an emergency, by making a cell phone readily available. Option 2 fairly reimburses Elected Officials who are currently using their personal resources to conduct City business. OPTION 3 Option 3 is a significant enhancement to Elected Official communication capabilities. With a. . Smartphone, Springfield Elected Officials could receive phone calls, e-mail including attachments, and meeting notifications. outside of their hbmes, 'away from their.businesses, and away from City Hall. This could make current information and updates available anywhere there . is coverage. Those Councilors who chose not to receive a Smartphone would still receive the cell phone and Internet allowance. OPTION 4 Attachment 1 Page 2 of3 Option 4 envisions the solutions described in Option 3, plus it provides the power and mobility of a laptop computer to Springfield Elected Officials. Currently only one Councilor has expressed interest in a city-furnished laptop computer. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS Options 3 and 4 present two additional considerations. Any writing which contains information relating to the conduct of a public business (including information stored on computer tape, microfiche, photographs, films, tape, or videotape, and virtually any other method of recording information including machine readable or electronic form) is a public record and, unless exempt, subject to disclosure under the Oregon Public Records Law. When utilizing Options 3 or 4 it would be best to consider this information non-exempt, and subject to disclosure to the public imd communication media. The other issue presented by Option 4 is the potential for inadvertent electronic "meetings" when a quorum of the members may be on the system at anyone time. If an inadvertent meeting occurs, there would be a violation of the Oregon Public Meetings Law for lack of notice and lack of public aCcess. Thus, Option 4 should be limited to communication between a Councilor or the Mayor and City Hall, and certainly no more than 2 Councilors or 1 Councilor and the Mayor at anyone time. Attachment 1 Page 3 of3