2005 AGN NOV 01 I15 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: ITEM #15 CITY OF COLTON AGENDA REPORT FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING OF, NOVEMBER 1, 2005 HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DILU DE ALWIS —FINANCE DIRECTOR REQUEST FOR RECRUITMENT, RATIFICATION OF EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT TO NETWORK TECHNICIAN POSITION IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE -DIVISION OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT OCTOBER 24, 2005 BACKGROUND: The Utility Billing system for the City of Colton has gone through some major changes during the past decade. These changes included moving from a system that was customized for the City of Colton in the late 1980's to a shared program with the City of Azusa since 1999. Additionally, the City Council gave city staff direction to award a contract to Advanced Systems to install a new Utility Billing system which is currently on-line. This new system is different from the previous systems relative to maintenance as it will be maintained in-house instead of by a consultant/contractor at cost of approximately $200,000 annually. The maintenance of this system will require the addition of a Network Technician to the existing Information Services Division of the Finance Department. The salary range of this position will be $3,488.38 to $4,240.49 ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION: During the data conversion from the previous utility billing system to the new Advanced ,Utility billing system, staff recognized the need for a full-time Network Technician to maintain the data files, back up data files and provide software/hardware support to the Customer Service Division of the Finance Department. The previous utility billing system was housed and supported by the City of Azusa and these tasks were handled by a higher level staff member at a significantly higher cost than a Network Technician. The current Information Services staff is not in a position to undertake: this additional task due to the extremely heavy work load that they are currently responsible for. The Customer Service Division of the Finance Department has had a vacancy of a Customer Service Representative I position since late 2004, and is recommending forgoing this position for a Network Technician position. The salary difference between these two positions in the first year will be approximately $6,600. This position will help maintain the integrity of the data and assure a stable system environment for the billing system for the City of Colton Electric, Water and Wastewater funds. This position will also assist the Information Services Division of the Finance' Department to stay current with the numerous service requests they receive and increase'. productivity.