I really don't have a time. 90 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
I don't mean to be sarcastic with you directly, but you could understand, I guess, I hope, that an individual who served this fire department, served this City for 15, years that has this disease, what they're 7 going through in their personal, physical, mental, 8 family, financial life that the City itself has some 9 responsibility and something that they owe them to 10 allow them to gain disability and have some economic 11 and financial piece of mind. An issue of simple 12 fairness, especially since the State has passed a 13 special law on their behalf. 14
As I said, the law is new. 15 The information that was give, which was at the 16 session last week, was very contradictory. And in 17 fact, after the presentation, the President of Local 18 22 told me that the main speaker had changed his 19 position within hours after the meeting. So it's 20 very confusing on that law. In regards to the other things, we do have the Hepatitis C bank and we do have the sick leave bank that we control.
How many people have withdrawn from the Hepatitis C bank, made withdrawals, so to speak. 91 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
I think it's somewhere in the neighborhood of about to people. 4
It's simply my 5 position that -- and we can talk to all lawyers we 6 need too talk to and I'm sure there's a law firm 7 that will give us a ruling or opinion on we want 8 them to say. That's what lawyers do. But at some 9 point in time, I think the City has to acknowledge 10 and be very forthright with the understanding that 11 these individuals obtained this disease as a result 12 of their employment, that the longer delay and the 13 longer we ignore and the longer we try to limit the 14 City's liability, I think the more liability in the 15 long run we're going to obtain because these people are afraid to come out, they're afraid to be tested, they're afraid to start treatment. And the longer they delay these treatments and issues and not acknowledging this because the City's intransigence, the longer I think the road to recovery is going to be, the more expenses we're going to pay down the road of potential liver transplants and other types of major procedures. And I think that the City -- no offense to you personally. I think the City has been extremely 92 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) shortsighted and cold and calculating as a result of their position, vis-a-vis our fire fighters and other paramedic and emergency personnel. And I think that it has been an absolute disgrace. And I know that you are simply carrying out the policy of the City. But I need to say for the record that I think that it has been disgraceful the way these people have been treated, to jump through hoops, to go through a process that asks a person like Mary Kohler about her sexual habits when she was years 12 of age. And questions like that, I think really 13 amount to a torturous process for these poor people, 14 and they need help. And they'll be there -- when my 15 house is on fire they don't ask me a slew of questions, they run through the door and try to drag my rear-end out. So I think that the City ought to reassess its position, stop hiding behind law firms and do what's right by those people. I appreciate you listening to me, and I know you're carrying out that policy and I thank you. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. 93 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) Can you tell us what if any role that your office will have in work redesign efforts as a result of the Drop program?
There is a committee that's being established to get a consultant to talk about the Drop and work reassignment and we are a member of that committee.
No. The RFP is out for consultants, but the study has not been started.
Can you tell me who is on the committee for the City, please?
The consultant has actually been hired, it's Perente Randolph (ph). They're going to start their work early in March. It will take about eight months. The committee is going to 94 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) be have about six members, representatives from Personnel, Managing Director's Office, Office of Budget Program Evaluation and Labor Relations.
Mr. Dubow, do I understand you to say they're going to start the study next month, March?
How long is it anticipated that it will take them to complete their study?
We're talking about all of the police and fireman --
They're not looking at police and fire. Police and fire are not included in the study because we're not reducing the police and fire work forces.
How many employees do we have that are under the Drop program.
There are, I think, about 2400 in Drop and about 1,000 of those in non-uniform departments.
I beg your 95 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) pardon?
There are, I think, about 2400 and 1,000 of those are non-uniform.
Would you provide us with that information also, please?
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Goode.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning. In 1996, the City and the labor unions through negotiation of a contract decided to embark upon this Redesigning Government Initiative. And at that point, it was mostly or was as far as I know just labor and management and the public sector. Has there been any thought of bringing the business community, the private sector into the Redesigning Government Initiative?
This is Delia Gorman again. As you said, the Redesigning Government Initiative 96 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) in the '96 agreements was structured in such a way that labor and management would work together in order to improve services, reduce costs, and improve work life for the unions. We have had on an ad hoc basis in some of our projects involvement or input from the business community. And the one example that comes to mind is when we were looking at in the L & I project the sidewalk cafe license, we contacted the head of Restaurant Business Owners Association to meet with us, the committee, to talk about what concerns the restaurant business owners had with regard to licensing procedures and the licensing requirements for this particular license. We have not had systematic approach to doing that, but more on an ad hock basis.
So there has been no 18 engagement of the business community in terms of how to sort of reform form L & I and its whole license procedure. I notice in testimony on it talks about improving services to citizens, but then later on in the same testimony on it talks about business compliance as if our business residents are not citizens. And rather than talking about how to 97 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) improve the business environment, it talks about business compliance. I think that beyond talking about really cutting them out of time for licenses, and beyond talking about web access to licenses and those type of things, an appropriate discussion might be to talk about how to create a better business environment in Philadelphia by reducing the regulatory burden. And I'm wondering when the business community is going to brought into that discussion in terms of the Redesigning Government Initiative, or is that going to happen some other place in government?
Well, I want to clarify what we meant by business compliance. I think one of the problems we have is because of licensing procedure is so complicated or lengthy that some businesses are frustrated and put off by that. And even though they would like to comply, it is very difficult or more difficult than it needs to be. So when we were talking about business compliance in that sense, encouraging business compliance by simplifying the procedure. And we certainly are open, especially in that L & I project, to getting input from business people and we have conducted 98 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) surveys in the concourse of folks coming in to apply for permits and licenses and asking them questions and getting feedback about what is it that they don't understand or are frustrated with or what is it they don't like about the process. So certainly, the focus for the Licenses and Inspections Project Committee is on decreasing the regulatory burden to the extent that legally it can be done.
But does simplifying the process means simplifying the number of licenses that businesses are required to have?
Right. That's part of it. It's reducing the number of licenses by maybe consolidating them or eliminating ones that are no 16 longer necessary.
What sort of progress are we making on that front? And how has the private sector been engaged in that process in terms of redesigning government?
I can give you examples. With the Licenses and Inspections Committee, the dance hall license which had a very broad application, even if you had a jukebox in a tavern without a dance floor, you had to apply for a dance 99 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) hall license or you had occasional live music. When they looked at that again, they said really what's the purpose of the license? What is it we're trying to regulate? Who are we trying to regulate? And let's focus this so that it addresses the needs the City has without putting out.
So to answer my question, it is being done on a ad hoc basis, it's not being done in a comprehensive manner?
Right now with Redesigning Government Initiative, it's a comprehensive approach. We're not being all inclusive the entire business community. We're doing it focussed on the business community affected by the license.
But it's not a comprehensive approach to reducing the regulatory burden for businesses?
Not RGI. I think generally speaking, RGI is trying to get involved in the overall City effort to do that, where I know that Mayor's Office of Information Services has some proposals about where we're going to go with electronic businesses. And I think the RGI can play a role in that because we've been looking at the 100 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) manual processes.
That's still web access to licenses. I'm talking about reducing the actual number of licenses required. Is there anyone working on that as far you know, or is RGI a part of any committee or process toward making that happen?
I don't want to speak for the L & I Commissioner, but I think that from the feedback we've gotten in doing RGI he's very supportive of that concept in terms of reducing and streamlining. So we have been working hand in had with the management of Licenses and Inspections.
Lastly, do you think that is a role for RGI or should it just take place within L & I, particularly from my perception if you enhance the economic environment, you bring more revenue to the City, there's more money available for labor contracts.
I think it benefits everybody if we can effect that kind of streamlining and reduction and complications, not just the business community, but the unions and management as well. And a lot of the times we've been dealing with when we talk with the union members on our 101 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) committee is, you know, they're the frontline workers, they're the ones getting blamed for the fact that the license hasn't been issued or that things are overly complicated. So it's in their interest as well as everyone else in the department to get rid of as much of that as we can. So RGI is certainly supportive of that. I think L & I is the driving force behind getting that done.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen.
Thank you, Madam President. Isn't the RGI program a union initiative by District Council 47? Or does the City have its own RGI program in addition? I'm confused.
There's one Redesigning Government Initiative program. Both the AFSCME unions, both District Council 47 and District Council 33 agreed to a pilot program in the 1996 agreements. That pilot program has been extended by mutual agreement now through at least 2002 of the current agreement. Both District Council 47 and 33 have been involved. I would say that District 102 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) Council 47 was the union that took the lead with the very first project, but we've been involved with both them and District Council 33. Because it's a labor management cooperation initiative, there are union representatives and City representatives who are involved with the Redesigning Government Initiative. So it's not separate -- it's not the union doing one and the City doing one. We're doing it together.
Well, I haven't heard any response by District Council 33, but I understand that District Council 47 is very unhappy with the pace of the City's involvement. They say that they often make proposals and nothing happens to them. Incidentally, I think the suggestion by Councilman Goode of City involvement of the business community is very good with respect to each initiative because there is the separate problem that particularly small business seems to have with the City, and we can't blame the State in this case when small business people say that the maze of getting an approval from the City for anything is just a horrendous task. And I'm wondering why we 103 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) can't really resolve that. The small business people have enough economic problems to concentrate on that we would do a world of good for everybody if we could get away from this lost maze they find themselves in when they try to get permits or to have contractors or draftsman have to spend hours in Municipal Service Building waiting. It seems to me the City just isn't and the ready to handle small businesses in an efficient manner. And while we talk of wanting to encourage the growth of small business, because that's where more jobs are coming from, we act just in a contrary fashion. So if you could, I know I've included a few questions all together, I'd like to hear your reason. Why is it impossible for the City in a short time clear up the kind of nuisances itself has created? I don't understand that there's any problem with the State on this. The areas of concern I hear small businessmen speak of are City concerns.
Yes. I imagine that's true. I think that with Licenses and Inspections there are a number of things the City can do to make 104 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) small business owners -- make life easier for them with the licensing or permitting process by taking a hard look at what is the process, how many layers have been added over the years that really are not necessary or can be streamlined. And that is exactly what the L & I RGI Committee is doing.
Both 47 and 33. Both are involved in that. And what they're in the process of doing, and as I said on a case-by-case basis, looking at the business community most affected by it. And I would think we have expanded into the permitting, what is the permitting process. Then the other thing that gets complicated is the permitting process then leads to the inspection process, and how do those two interact. The other thing that is of concern and may slow things down sometimes is some licensing changes to licensing processes or procedures need Council approval, some of them don't; it depends. So each one has to be taken on its on own because it's kind of grown into its own monster over he years on its own, and we have to tackle them 105 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) one at a time. It is a little time consuming, but it's the only way you end up with that better process. And hopefully, that can ducktail with the computerization efforts and the web business efforts so that people don't have to go down to MSV and wait in line for hours. They can get it done more quickly.
Do you think it's possible to create a system or have a system in which small businessmen can concentrate on their business and not on the filling out of forms or wait in line?
I would hope so. And I think L & I Commissioner would also hope that that can be accomplished, not to speak for him.
Now, with respect to another aspect, it is common talk in labor circles that this Administration recognizes the building grades unions, and as to all other labor organizations it just gives a cold shoulder, does not in fact deal with them on anywhere near the same basis as it does the building trades unions. Do you have any comment with respect to that?
We can respond in response 106 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) to the City unions District Councils 33 and 47, AFSCME --
If you would speak into the microphone, I'd be able to hear you better.
District 33, AFSCME, Fraternal Order of Police and Fire Fighters, this Administration has dealt with them up-front in a current process. How the Administration reacts to other non-City unions, we do not get involved with that.
You know that's not the opinion of any of those four unions, that each of those four unions would contradict your statement as to the way in which the City treats them or deals with them. I'm talking the fire and police and District Council 33 and 47.
We talk with the presidents and union officials daily. And I've heard no new complaints, let's put it that way, about the way --
That's an interesting 107 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) contradiction. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. Are there any other questions from Members of the committee? Thank you so much.
The next department to testify is the Mayor's Office of Information Services. (Witnesses come forward.)
Good morning, Madam President. My name is Diana Neff. I'm the Chief Information Officer for the Mayor's Office of Information Services. I'd like to introduce some of the staff that are here today. Karl Bortnick to my right who is the Central IT Director, Darryl Hamlin to my far left who is the Social Services CIO, Howard Baker who is the Public Safety CIO, David Lewis who is the Finance and Enterprise Services CIO, Oliver Thorton who is the Municipal Services CIO, Jackie Henry who is the Administrative Services Manager, and Cheryl Ford who is our Budget Officer. 108 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) Information Services was created by an executive order in 1993. And in 2001, the CIO was formed as a cabinet member to the current Mayor. We provide centralized planning and standards in project management and computer training and support to all of the departments in the City. This year we are presenting a budget of $13,464,335 which is an increase of 277,000 from Fiscal 2002. The estimated cost increase are in our maintenance for mainframe database and software licenses. We also are requesting a total of $974,501 in the water fund. And that is a decrease of $33,281 from the year 2002 due to the elimination of maintenance on obsolete equipment that was retired. The. Year 2002 was a building and structural year. I joined the City in May of 2001, and during the process of the summer and fall hired the different cluster CIOs that were introduced. We also took this as a time frame to meet with the departments to look at how we can support them through senior IT managers. However, we didn't just do organizational activities. You've had the opportunity to look at the City's website, we have had major improvements in that initiative. We have 109 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) worked and brought the City Council's website up. We now have address-based mapping services to help citizens in a business locate geographic features, zoning information, and facilities. We have worked with the Public Property to bring on the property assessment information and made that available. We've worked Fun, Fit, and Free. We've created a special Philly's Kids and a lot of activity was done in the neighborhood transformation area, particularly with GIS. We also, I think, should recognize Darryl Hamlin in the work that he has done with the social services department in raising over $2,485,000 in grants for our recreation, education, computer site program. This is a program by which we are looking to put computer labs in 128 of our recreation facilities across the City. Our goal was to bring up 10 sites this year. We have funding for that. Cost us approximately $250,000 to outfit and put in the software and get the training instructors to have valid programs at those centers. We also use this as a foundation year by which we are developing the infrastructure to support areas like our Citizen Relationship 110 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) Management Program. We are now out on the street with a number RFPs, Request for Proposals, to support us in an area of bringing on a work management system. That is one of those systems where when I came on board I had requests for four different work management applications, all of them having their favorite vendor. We brought them together, did joint requirements definitions, have issued a combined request for proposal, and that will close the end of March and it will bring on board as part of its first two activities will be a customer information system that will allow us to track requests coming in from any point within the City against a parcel or a complaint. And we will then be doing the work management and it will have a billing and collection system to support the Water Revenue Borough.
Also in 2003, we have an RFP out for consulting services to do an enterprise IT strategic plan and information technology strategic plan that will involve all of the departments in the City to help us select and prioritize where we need to be going with the use our dollars and how we use technology effectively in the organization. 111 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) We will also be working with Public Safety. We have a request for proposal that has just closed on the Police Instant Information Network called PIIN, and they're continuing to also do their internal borough application. Implementation will conclude next year as well. We will be doing an analysis of a 311, you may have heard of this terminology. I believe it's been discussed before you before. This is where citizens would not have to know a specific department or phone number to call. They could call 311. There would be knowledge base system that would take that call and it would be able to direct it to the appropriate department for response. It would also feed in our back-in systems so that we could get some efficiencies and improve the process as far as performance and delivery. The Neighborhood Transformation, we're working with the departments to build collection systems particularly with L & I. We are continuing to build and support our infrastructure. We are looking to higher the six main facilities so that we have redundancy for disaster recovery in our applications. We are also continuing to enhance our 112 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) geographic information system relationship with NTI in developing a uniform land information system that will have a common addressing database that we do not have today. And with that, Madam President, that ends my testimony and I welcome any questions.
Thank you. What are the cluster chief information officers?
Those are a group of senior IT -- I guess the equivalent would be deputy CIO's -- that work with various departments. For example in Social Services, all of the different 14 agencies that are within that cluster as the Mayor 15 has defined clusters, Darryl works with those 16 departments to look at how do they develop a 17 business case for new projects, doing project 18 management to ensure that we're getting the delivery 19 of what we're paying for in the way of IT projects. In municipal services that includes Water, Streets, L & I, Records. So we've taken like-functional groups and put a senior IT person to work with those departments to help the commissioners understand how technology can be effectively used within their departments. And then as a group, we work to 113 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) coordinate our effort so that we have an enterprise view of how technology can be used across the City.
When do you expect to complete your citywide five-year IT strategic plan?
Will you be doing this in-house or will you be engaging a consultant?
Both. We will be engaging a consultant and that request for proposal is on the street right now and bids are due in by March 4th. Then we will be forming an IT Strategic Plan Committee comprised of 16 commissioners, deputy commissioners across the City, plus the deputy CIO's and the technical directors from MOIS to work together to craft the strategic plan.
Can you tell us what the Mayor's IT executive order does? And you said the it was initiated when? In 1993 it was created? 114 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
In 1993, right. And that created the Mayor's Office of Information Services as it stands today and Karl was here at that time and can talk more to that. And then there's a new executive order that hasn't been released yet out of this Mayor's Office which will bring some changes to the organization.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning -- good afternoon. Why don't we start with the last item you mentioned and then I have some other questions. What's the new executive order?
What is the new executive order that you just made reference to?
In year 2000, the Mayor had commissioned a Transition Committee to look at how IT might be structured within the City. It followed up with a second commission that built on the work that was done by the Transition Committee, and they came out with a series of recommendations. Those 115 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) recommendations were then used to solicit a cabinet level CIO, to hire a cabinet member CIO of which I was selected. And then from that, I put together an executive order that addressed some of the issues that came out of the transition report which is available on the website under the Mayor's transition reports and will look at how we more effectively use technology across the enterprise by centralizing the IT planning and funding.
To submit to the Mayor's Office based on the two committee reports.
What did you say was available on the website, the Transition Committee report?
And based on those reports and other reports, you then wrote an executive order or a draft of an executive order and submitted it to the Mayor's Office?
What was the budget of this office back when it was created in 1993, do 116 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) you know or does Mr. Bortnick know?
I'm Karl Bortnick. And if, I believe, you'll look at that period of time, we were under $7 million at that time. If you go back to 1985, you will note that the budget at that time was in that to $14 million range. 8
And then in 1993 11 you're saying that it was less than 7? 12
Yes. I can get the exact 13 number, but that was dollars at that time.
The City suffered a severe financial crisis in the early '80s, early 90s.
And from year to year the budget decreased over that period of time.
And you're saying since '93 it's basically built up almost virtually to the 1985 level. 117 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
Well, what were we doing in 1985 from a technology standpoint, we then slid to half of that budget and now built up back to the same level? I mean, some of the things that you do now didn't exist then.
Absolutely. You have not to make along story technology evolved highly centralized type of technology that was typical of the late '70s, early '80s into a more significantly decentralized technology. And with the decentralization went also increases in equipment costs into departmental budgets. So if you look at the cost within the departmental budgets over that period of time, you'll see they're increasing even as there's a generalized decrease as the amount of equipment goes.
Okay. How many people were in the department or -- actually, I'm not sure what --
In 1983, if my memory 118 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) serves me correctly, there were 108 people at that time.
Excuse me. 1993. In 1985 there were approximately 194 people.
Could you repeat the answer to that question.
I'm sorry. I may not have spoken loudly enough. In the 1985 time frame there were approximately 194 people. In 1993 the agency had contracted to approximately 108 people. And that was the answer.
And today there are -- we have a budget before you for 151 people.
The roles and responsibilities -- let me please add here -- of an organization in this decade of the '90s and growing into this new millennium are significantly broader than they were in an historically earlier time. 119 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
Ms. Neff, tell me who are the, you call them clusters, CIOs for these four areas, Public Safety, Social Services, Municipal Services and Financial and Enterprise Services? Who are the actual individuals?
These are the gentlemen that I introduced to you. Darryl Hamlin for Social Service, Howard baker for Public Safety. David Lewis for Finance and Enterprise Services, Oliver Thorton for Municipal Services.
And I made a previous request of the Chief of Staff. Could you provide a complete organization chart with all the individuals listed and their titles and their salaries?
And did you recruit the CIO's? I know, obviously, Mr. Thorton was already in the government. Were the other three individuals in the government when you arrived or did you hire them yourself.
Mr. Hamlin was with the organization for Social Services as a program manager. And then Mr. Baker and Mr. Lewis were new 120 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) hires.
And what are their respective backgrounds in these particular areas?
What are their respective backgrounds in these particular areas?
Mr. Baker was the Public Safety CIO for the State of Massachusetts. He was also the Deputy CIO for the City of New York. And prior to that, he had, I believe, years in the 12 law enforcement in California. 13 Mr. Lewis has both a planning degree as 14 well as was involved in consulting in the IT arena, 15 was from the private sector prior to joining 16 although has municipal service background in the 17 planning area. 18 Mr. Hamlin was with the City, but prior 19 to the City from the City of Atlanta as well as 20 Washington, D.C. and a military background. 21
And they work with a 22 variety of commissioners and departments for their 23 management information system issues or information technology services and programs?
That's correct. 121 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
And I know that we have a direct entity that may work as a consultant that works with us here in Council. Do any of these folks have responsibility or interaction to work with any of us?
With the Kimmel Group? Am I assuming that's the group that you're speaking that supports you and your desktop?
But your four cluster areas, is there any contact or relationship between either your office, you directly or the four CIO's about any of the information technology or management information systems of the City as it relates to anything that we do here in City Council.
Yes. My office is directly open to you. I have worked at request of the different departments to have people come in and talk about technology. Or if there are issues, I'm always open and available from calls from Councilmembers or the Council President.
Let's talk about 122 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) your testimony on the recreation education computer sites. Where are the centers? 4
Good morning. I'm Darryl 7 Hamlin, CIO for Social Services. The first 10 8 centers are located in seven of the councilmatic 9 districts. Many of the centers in the first phase 10 were determined by outside entities. For example, the Shepherd Recreation Center which was open to the NBA All Star Game was chosen by the NBA because that was Wilt Chamberlin and Earl Monroe's center. Because, again, we are fund-raising, many times the funder dictates where they would like those locations put in the City. The remainder of those are selected by the Recreation Commissioner.
We actually are running this program, somewhat what the Free Library did. All funds for the computer labs are raised outside the Operating Budget. We actually have applied for federal grants, state grants. We also are receiving contributions from the corporate community. 123 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
What's the programmatic activity at these particular sites and who's in charge of them?
The programmatic activities include support of the after school program. We also do public technology education in the evenings. The actual activities are determined by the local recreation boards. What we have done is provided them a framework which includes technology and then the local recreation boards determine exactly what activities go on in there, but they are geared around the after school program.
Well, give me an idea of the kinds of things that the kids might work on. I mean, what's the goal? What are we trying to teach them? Why are they there and what do they do on a computer?
For example, starting this year, we have just closed an agreement with Intel Corporation. We will use something called the Computer Clubhouse. And what the Computer Clubhouse would do is actually teach young people how to design the games they are currently familiar with. So it provides them opportunities to get inside into 124 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) the world of IT. We're also working with M.L. King Center out of Harvard University to bring a computer oriented training program centered around African-American history. Those of two of the types of programs that we want to bring to the City starting next year.
Do the activities at these various centers and specifically the computer training that the young people may receive, does it have any connection or relationship with anything that might be going on in their local school?
Yes. We are working directly with the School District to ensure -- what we want to have happen is that the computers, regardless of whether they're in recreation centers, the Free Library, the community technology education center, the that they become extension of what the child learns in the day in school.
How many of these centers do you ultimately anticipate trying to open?
Our goal in the second phase is to get up to 40, depending on how we do our fund-raising. There are a 128 sites throughout the City that can in fact support a computer lab. 125 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
You made reference the funder often dictates where the activity is going to take place.
Yes. For example, again, with the NBA, they want to honor Wilt Chamberlin and so they selected the Shepherd Recreation Center which was his home site.
I'm familiar with that. How do you deal with -- again, particular community involved, elected officials in a particular area, and suppose there's a difference of opinion about where a particular site should be or where even the need, maybe one site versus another, how do you deal with those issues?
Those are handled by the Department of Recreation. What we have attempted to do is to look at where the most need is and that where recommend the site is. However, again, based on the funder's desire, they may overrule that. And again, once there is a computer lab in a recreation center, it is up to the local board to determine what type of activities go on there.
Let's talk about the public safety area in the testimony. 126 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
Councilman, can we ask you to wait until the next go-round if that would be okay.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think it's becoming clearer as every question that's been asked is kind of answer you want and usually you don't get. It's something very positive. This is, I think, the all star team of this Administration and it's very much below the surface. I know and knew of Diana Neff prior to her being hired because she was considered the finest CIO in the country when she was in San Diego. In fact, chaired Public Technology is the organization in washington that's owned by the local government organizations for technology purposes. She chaired their IT task force. And this is real forward thinking stuff that we're hearing about. It's not going on in most large counties and most large cities. They're thinking about it, they're trying to figure out how to get from here to there. And I just want to congratulate the Administration, 127 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) whoever was responsible for Ms. Neff's hire, and then for giving her the ability to start doing the things that need to be done. I was just in a meeting at Public Technology the other day in Washington and her name came up twice when they talked about the run this the top CIOs in the country. So I think we're very fortunate to have lured her away from San Diego. And I can just tell you that Sand Diego just hired a CIO. That took almost a year to fill that position. These are not easy jobs to fill. And I'm sure it wasn't easy to get the layer of deputies that were described. And I appreciate Councilman Nutter asking that question because the biographies, the resumes of those people are as impressive in their own right as Ms. Neff. I just have a couple of questions. One, NTI, in a private conversation we were talking about more things that could be done. You had mentioned that NTI had significant money in there for Information Technology and things you could do if NTI funds became available. If you could go over that. And then the other is just with GIS and 128 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) where we are because, again, I think it's one of the areas where we're ahead of most jurisdictions in the country. Even though we have a ways to go, we're looked nationally as one the leaders in GIS area. And when the fellow from New York was giving a presentation, the guy that set up everything after 911, their GIS director, he's giving a presentation to federal department heads as he goes through this history from 911. He mentions Philadelphia first as where they learned about what the best practices are with GIS. I mean, this is New York City. So I would ask you to just give us an overview of GIS. And lastly, are we filling all the task forces at PTI, the five task forces? I know they don't have a Human Service component yet. But in terms of the other ones, Energy, Environment, Transportation, Public Safety, IT, do we have somebody participating on a regular basis as you were and, I'm sure, will continue to. So there's just NTI, GIS, and Public Technology involvement with your peers around the country.
Thank you. As a part of the NTI program, there is $5 million that has been 129 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) identified to use in various IT-related projects. Two of the programs are in the GIS area to create a uniform land records system. And to do that, we need to go back in and take the 5,000 individual sheets from Records Department and digitize all the updates that have occurred since 1995. We are recognized nationally for our GIS. It has served the City well. As we now get down to the parcel base, we have somewhere between 4 and 20 percent err, depending on what the portions of the City that you're in. Because as properties have changed, been divided, the legal identifiers have not been updated in that system. So this helps us bring together and create a uniform land base such that you don't have a separate land base in Planning versus Streets or Water.
Could you explain GIS for the record and in lay terms and what the benefits are to a City like Philadelphia and also the region and how it can tie into economic development if developed properly?
Geographic Information Systems have actually been around since the '80s. What they do is they allow you to take information 130 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) about unique pieces of land. Virtually every service that we provide in the City touches land in some way, whether it's our watershed, impervious services as we look at storm water where there are our curbs and gutters, our center lines for our Streets Department. But it attaches what they cal attributes or identifiers to those parcels so that we would know where certain things are, what the topography of a land might be. It's used extensively in routing in the License and Inspections and Sanitation.
I'm sorry. We've got some higher than usual noise in the room. I'm having trouble hearing her.
Thank you. Could we keep our voices down or step in the hallway for conversations. It's difficult to hear. Thank you.
Thank you. Even the Revenue Department and the Borough of Taxation attaches what they do to a parcel of land. If you have 11 different departments having their own land information systems, you get conflicts. What we want to do is develop -- 131 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
Excuse me, Madam Chair. I'm getting it from both sides now. I'm really having trouble hearing.
Can we please keep our voices down or step out in the hallway for conversation. This is a room where it's very, very difficult to hear. So please could you take your conversations out in the hallway. It's just built into this building and we all love our building but we just can't hear when there are other conversations going on. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Please continue.
Thank you. So our goal is to have an integrated single parcel database that let's any user, not just a GIS or geographic information analyst go in and have access to that information. Just this past week we have placed interactive mapping capability up on our website so that if you are a business and you need to know parcel zoning, you can go put in address, be able to get that and then link back to the zoning codes. So it's the information about that parcel of land, not just the graphic picture of it that makes the value GIS so 132 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) important. As we look at with NTI and how we're going to aggregate properties and the ability for commercial entities or residential neighbors to come in and get information that's important to them about a fixed geographic area, that that will be accessible. And so we're working very closely. One of the things that we were able to do is when the Mayor was going out into the various different neighborhoods to be able to bring up these mapping and show neighborhoods the different parcels and what was there and how they might be used. You can do modelling from there, so the Planning Department using GIS extensively as they're looking for their economic development.
Does the Police Department or Human Services, which are never sort of doing the same thing, can they utilize GIS?
Absolutely. And I should have mentioned that because one of the things that the City is known for that Commissioner Timoney brought with him is New York is Comstat which is maps prime data. And this highly used program and has been successfully used by the Police Department 133 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) to identify crime patterns, look for common patterns that helps in the resolution of crimes. The Fire Department is able to look at building footprints where hazardous materials might be stored in relationship to buildings and how they would need. Many organizations uses GIS disaster recovery in their emergency operation centers. Being able to know where your equipment is deployed if you've got a fire and being able to bring up that building and understand how it's laid out. The one area the GIS is just beginning to become active in is in the Human Services. And we're very excited about being a leader in that and taking a look at being able to identify patterns in the Social Services arena and will be working with the different departments to see how we might use this, again, as an underlying tool in helping them do their service delivery better, whether that's a case worker being able to pull up information, whether it's a probation officer having a picture of a client while they're out in the field and being able to appointments based on where they're located, so better management of their case management.
Thank you. And the 134 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) PTI program?
Yes. PTI, Mr. Baker is on the Public Safety Task Force. I am not aware whether we have anyone from the Transportation Energy or Environmental Departments, and I will look into that.
Could you try and see if we can. Because they have a conference in April.
Particularly Home Land Security being the main focus, environment, Energy. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon. In your testimony you talk a feasibility study and the creation of a 311 contact center as a means of residents requesting non-emergency information. Post September 11th, have you thought about any feasibility studies related to creating an additional emergency contact 135 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) resource?
The Police Department is looking at 911. And how actually 311 would be able to help eliminate the non-emergency calls that come currently into 911 so that they can respond to those true emergency issues. So the two go hand in hand. The 311 would take those non-emergency, allow us to track and be able to feed our back-in system so that if a pothole needed to be fixed or a tree needed to be removed, we'd be able to do so without those calls having to go in.
But in case of extreme, God forbid, like in New York or DC, even 911 was clogged up. Is there any thought of giving some feasibility analysis to whether it may be a need for additional emergency resource?
Yes. And in fact, that will be something we look at as a part of the study and how the two systems can cross over. Is there any benefit to cross training -- there's union issues that would have to be addressed, but it is one of the items we will look at as a part of the study.
So that can be accomplished between 911 and 311. 136 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, MOIS. I just want to thank you for finally helping me get trained, me personally get trained on the computer. I really do enjoy it. I want to particularly thank Karl Bortnick and the technical people that are down on the third floor. They've been great assistance to myself and to my office. They were always there to help us. One of the things that I think we're still struggling with in my office, and I'll just use Access as an example, the program Access. And I don't know whether in the training whether this is included. But it's one thing to teach people to use Access, how to operate Access, but I was wondering in the training, does it also help people understand, help the trainees understand why we even use access and how the use of that database can 137 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) increase the effectiveness of our office as it relates to pulling up reports? I am probably the least computer literate person in my office, but I read a lot, I read a lot of the books and the manuals. So I know the purpose of the program and why we use it. Is that a part of the training, rather than just to show people how to actually operate Access? You understand what I'm saying?
Usually, when you've gone to training, it has been that type of how do I use the tool. What we've found in working together was there is how does the tool fit in my office, that additional mile that makes the tool meaningful. And indeed, we can take your suggestion and have more real world office examples built into so that it would be even a greater help to you because the fact that you use it yourself is really important to us. Just like it occurs also in Councilman Rizzo's office and some of the other Council offices that I know where the Councilpeople now in this cycle have been very interested in technology. So, yes, we 138 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) will get back to our training providers, of which we have five, and ask them for some more sample examples you can take away.
That would be good because it's one thing to put the data in, but then when you want to access it to use and the people have not -- they don't understand about -- I'm just calling the fields. I don't know if it's called fields or not. But I'll say, "Well, pull up a report on this." And they're looking at me like I'm nuts, like, "I don't really understand." So I'm really glad to hear that. I think sometimes just basic things that people -- I believe staff should take the initiative to do some self-directed learning. But some of the things that you showed us about how do the messages and some of these other things that you can do, it's no point having these computers in these offices and people are not using one quarter of the capacity that they could be using to access and deliver information to each other. The other question, yesterday we were on a blight tour, and actually on our last three tours I've taken notice of the young man that's 139 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) accompanying us from your department with the GIS mapping. And it was very useful yesterday. We were in an area where the question was very key of who owned a particular parcel. And he went in, really couldn't pull up the owner only because we think the owner was actually a common piece of property that everybody in that block radius owned. But that information and the young man being there has been very useful on our blight tours, and I did want to mention that. Now, if there was a single owner of that parcel, he would have been able to pull that up? I just want to be sure?
That is correct. They can put in an address. Or if they don't have an address, if they have a parcel number. One of the benefits of the funding that's in NTI for this is that we'll get a more accurate parcel base on which to do that. So this may have been part of that error percentage that we have in our parcel base that will be created through the program, going through and getting the legal descriptions and owners and verifying that the parcels are how they're listed in the database today. 140 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET)
Having that information on site during these tours and when you're dealing right out in the neighborhood, particularly since we'll be out so much dealing with NTI, is very, very useful. So I wanted to make those comments. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'd like to also let you know how much I appreciate Karl's personal effort in getting us straightened out and on the right track. In reference to your relocation, I can understand you wanting to come from San Diego to this climate.
We'll give you credit 141 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) for that. Earlier during the Capital Budget, I asked a couple questions about the difference, and I assume some of your new cluster leaders -- I thought we hadn't heard that word anymore, but it's good that it's still around. As you remember, we used that term when we had the clusters at Board of Education but they're no longer. I asked the question about looking at the difference between government and the private sector, and I believe some of you folks came from the private sector at one time. We do things differently in government, and I assume all governments do. Do you control the budget? Can you explain the budget? If the Police Department needs computers, are they at your mercy or do they have the ability to say, "We can't deal with this any longer. We need new equipment." Would you just explain in brief how the government works and how it could work better. I'm not suggesting that the private sector's got the best idea. Maybe ours is better. I don't know. But could you just describe briefly on how we can move this technology effort forward the way we do business now? Is it the best 142 2/20/02 - WHOLE - BILL 020001 (FY '03 BUDGET) way?