In a special retreat meeting, the board of supervisors held a “brainstorming” session Tuesday on ways to replace old technological systems with new infrastructure and reform efficiency of county agencies, among other items.
“To me, it’s more the concept of what we should do this year to tackle infrastructure issues,” said County Administrative Officer Ray Espinosa.
He said the county needs to consider investing some new revenue – in light of recent tax revenues and the improving economy – to invest back into new technology, employee training and retention efforts.
For instance, he said the county is considering updating phone systems it has used for a long time. He said the phone bill for the county is more than $125,000 a year – and that doesn’t include maintenance costs.
“We’re basically using baling wire to keep the thing together,” he said.
He wants to update the phone systems to work systematically and through the Internet, which would save the county money.
“Everything was decentralized and was not based in a central location,” he said.
He said the new phone system would roll over all the old numbers, so nothing would change except the system. The system would take three to four months of prep work, he said.
In addition to technological changes, the county is considering increasing its presence on social media sites.
“Social media is also very important,” Espinosa said. “People are changing their mentality on how the Internet is used, but social media is a key component, especially those who are younger.”
He said he does not want to roll out any initiative too quickly because he has seen other offices get in trouble due to lacking regulation of social media sites.
“You hear so many times someone will post something or do something … that wasn’t proper,” he said.
He said the county is still looking cautiously into it, even as county departments are asking for a social media presence.
“That’s why I’m waiting for checks and balances on social media,” he said.
The county is also looking into changing how information is processed in and across county departments.
“We’re basically revamping everything on how we think from a workflow perspective,” Espinosa said. “It’s going to be a game changer for the county.”
Supervisor Margie Barrios said with the new budget numbers coming in and multiple people entering numbers into spreadsheets, there is a “chance for errors” that could hurt the county financially.
“This project is right up there with getting the general plan up,” said Board Chairman Jerry Muenzer. “I have a feeling that as this project rolls out, the rank and file (county employees) are going to be moaning and groaning because it’s going to change the way they work.”
Espinosa said he hopes to have the new Enterprise Resource Planning, or ERP, system phased in to the county by Jan. 1, 2015.
“Right now is the time to do it right,” he said. “You got to get it right before you build up from it.”
The ERP will allow the county to maintain data and records across most departments and will allow the public to access the information online, Espinosa said.
“My goal is to be very transparent to the community,” he said.
Barrios wondered if the new system would be flexible enough for the county to adjust data or information, if the state requires additional information or other items.
“We’re building in some flexibility to it,” Espinosa said. “We’re going to be adding unknowns to the charts of accounts.”
Supervisor Anthony Botelho echoed Espinosa’s calls for transparency and said it is “tough” to get information out to the public.
“Our intention is to be completely forward and transparent in our decision-making process,” he said.
The new system would replace the county’s current SunGard Bi-Tech System and replace it with a different one known as New World Systems.
“It has business analytics, so you can use Excel to extract data,” Espinosa said. “It will be live data. You can manipulate it, present it, make graphs.”
He said most departments will be expected to use the new system, except for certain programs in departments such as public works that will not be able to easily integrate their programs into the system.
“There are different systems out there we need to integrate into this environment,” he said.
County Attorney Matthew Granger said the new system would be a “major sea change” for the county.
“There’s probably going to be some resistance to it,” he said.
The biggest issue that will come from the new system will be training employees, the supervisors agreed.
“I expect when this is rolled out, there will be proper training that takes place,” said Supervisor Robert Rivas. “Therefore, we avoid a confrontation (with staff).”
Espinosa said the new system will be “phased in” over time.
“I think it’s key and vital to have all staff trained and know what’s going on,” he said.
Lastly, since Windows is retiring the old XP system the county uses, the county is upgrading to Windows 7.
“Each machine (computer) is going to have to be dealt with,” said Espinosa. “There’s a lot of infrastructure things going on, not just technology and roads.”
