City prepares for growth by updating technology
A suburb of Atlanta, East Point, Ga., sees itself as the ideal location for commuters seeking refuge from city life and for industries seeking a location near a major transportation center (Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport). To attract new businesses and residents, East Point officials updated the city’s information systems infrastructure in April 1999, by purchasing new hardware and software for its public safety and justice, community services, financial and utilities departments. The city wanted to modernize all its systems at the same time to accommodate new demands on city services as growth occurs.
“I saw the opportunity for us to reorganize, to pull ourselves out of the 1950s, and to fulfill our promise to East Point citizens to run the city like a business,” says Russell Widener, the city councilman who spearheaded the effort. “I wanted us, for once, to do it right and to do it all at once, not piecemeal.”
In July 2000, East Point renewed its two-year contract with Lake Mary, Fla.-based HTE, a developer of local government software, to manage the city’s information needs. Under the contract, the company will continue to provide AS/400 support, network administration and technical support, site-management and help desk support.
The city has finished its first budgeting cycle using its new accounting software, and it has seen immediate improvements. Department heads were able to make better decisions for the city because they had access to each other’s information, not just their own. “This was the first time our budgeting process was done professionally,” Widener says. “The program allowed us to examine each line item and decide as a team which items to fund. It was all done with amazing ease.”
East Point also has installed new payroll/personnel software, which has been in use for several cycles, including one in which a raise was implemented “without a hitch,” according to Widener. Installation of all software is scheduled for completion this month.
Even while they are enjoying the major advances the new applications are bringing, city leaders are looking forward to a more significant long-term payoff. “This is nothing short of a renaissance,” says East Point Mayor Patsy Jo Hilliard. “Our city is changing so rapidly, and our population is becoming very diverse. Technology will be the way we bring our community together and keep our city vibrant.”
