 Welcome to Shabuagin County government working for you. I'm Dan Lamyhoo County Board Chairman co-host of our monthly show with Adam Pien or administrative coordinator and On a monthly basis we try to bring the services that Shabuagin County provides to its residents to our viewers and This week or this month We're talking about information systems department. We have with us George Schneider the head of that department and with 23 departments and And twelve thirteen hundred employees and The types of services that we provide information is is key to the services we provide and As we all know with our own personal computers Technology changes on a daily basis practically and Joyce's department is in charge of keeping Shabuagin County up to date and have our information flowing on a regular basis So that's what we're going to talk about today about information systems and what it means to Shabuagin County But first Joyce why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and and your background in Shabuagin County? I've been with Shabuagin County now for 27 years. I started in 1974 I have a background major in data processing and a minor in accounting and was promoted in 1983 to director of the department and have been in that position ever since And then tell us a little bit about the department itself and the primary responsibilities of the department and the mission of the department We have 15 staff members including myself Our mission is to support guidance assist in the information technology advancement in Shabuagin County we maintain and Configure and install software and hardware for all of our agencies We provide the security network for those agencies and we also do additional training for the users and IRS staff as well And then we have 23 departments Just a little background and how many of these departments and and people in these departments rely on on your services We have 23 departments that we provide service for within the county and Average about 600 and some employees that we have PCs on desktops that we provide service for We do training last year. We did some training for employees and we had 581 people that went through the training for the county So probably half half of the employees of Shabuagin County have a Some way that they work access access to or a regular use of a computer, right some way in their workplace They do have access or a need to get at personal computer and pull information for it for public service And with with that number of computers and people using computers What are some of the challenges you face and your staff is? Well, we do have when I started we were only servicing two departments and now we have 23 departments We also have 13 remote buildings. So we do no longer just service within our courthouse We have a number of remote buildings that we do provide online services for as well So we're busy training. We're busy installing. We have people that go out. They have a pager They have a cell phone so that we can make the best of their time as they're in these remote locations what You say that that they have Personal computers what what type of equipment maybe maybe our viewers aren't really familiar with the type of equipment we're talking about what Some of us have I know we've laughed about this before but I've got I've got a Macintosh at home and and that's that's a that's a naughty word when it comes to to the computers of the county, but What type of equipment are we talking about? We've switched It's been a change as far as when I started currently we have a client. What's called a client server environment where we have a number of servers that contain the data and we can maintain the backups on it and on the users desktops we have PCs that are either running NT Windows 95 or 98 and Windows 2000 and they're able to access those client servers off of that network so the network in itself has grown we have an Infrastructure within those 13 remote buildings and that gives them the ability to do word processing excel applications within their own environment when You talked about originally when you were in the department you you service to two other departments now you're servicing 23 Obviously your staff has grown what what were you the only person when you're only servicing two departments or What what type of requirements do you need in your from your staff people? The requirements have changed when I started yes I was the only person besides the manager at the time and I did just about everything I did programming I did the operations We did systems work now. We've become more specialized in the communication area We're working with routers and hubs New databases that are out there like SQL and Cybase So the technology and the expertise of the staff has had to change as well They've had additional training in that area a lot of them have come from a mainframe environment have a data processing degree Background and have made that switch to the new environment. We've also needed to train users on the on lines because There's more capabilities with the PC's now more functions that they can utilize PC's for in their workplace along with the new applications that they have developed in their areas For example in my business if I have a problem with my Macintosh I have to call the company bought it from or something like that to help me through a problem If if somebody in the county clerk's office has a problem with their computer They don't call the company about the computer some they call your department. That's correct. So your staff has the ability to fix repair have Software problem they can answer software problems. So so the answers are all for the most part are in your department That's correct. We have three people that Specialized in Installing and configuring the PCs on the desktops. We've also installed a help desk In our area so that if the end users have a problem They have a number to call and there's usually a person there that mans it From a till five that can answer majority of the calls if they can't we Put it on a tracking system and forward it to a person or an analyst who can and then get back to him at that point in time I mentioned earlier that technology is changing almost daily and and I know When you buy a computer By time you get it home the newest model is already on the shelves with upgrades already and With the 600 plus computers or PCs that we have in the county There's most likely continual requests for equipment or software things like that. How do you? determine who gets what and and and How does that process work? That's a tough question But what we try to do is provide a service or some equipment to each of the departments each year We look at the new applications that are coming in or how those applications are going to be changed for the coming year Based on that we ask the departments To create a list of the equipment needs that they foresee for the future work with their liaison committees For approval and then prioritize those lists and send them to us so that we have Equipment indicated which are the most important needs if they're additional equipment to the network or if the replacement of equipment once we get it I assemble it and Apply some values to it so that we can come up with an estimated budget figure take a look at it If it's something that's a critical Need for the department if it's a replacement It's possible that I can take those pieces of equipment and put them into another department that has a need for equipment But maybe it's not a high usage So we do try to stretch the equipment that we have in the county and make the budget dollars last The other thing that we took advantage back in 1999. We went to what was called the Citrix farm and that allows us to utilize the servers as More of a processing power than the end user desktops so the end user desktops can be what's called a thin client So we have stretched number of our PCs out to eight years and still been able to utilize them with even the new applications coming in But it's not an easy task. Everybody is looking for new equipment and there's only so many budget dollars to go around I know we didn't talk about this before we started this show, but You probably don't have the numbers with you But how much approximately do you spend on an annual basis for new equipment and training and that type of thing? Capital outlay. I believe is usually about a hundred and twenty five thousand each year. That's our equipment That's for equipment. That's for PCs and printers We also have specific projects out there that might be new applications of software and again those can run from 25 To maybe 550,000 depending on what the project is As far as training, we usually try to put in about 335,000 each year for training. That's not just our staff training. That's also countywide training as well and back in 2000 we did train about 581 people and we had 45 classes that was conducted locally and they were not all county staff We also included the city and the municipalities as well Another cost that surprised me when I when I became familiar with it was the cost of software. I know when I buy Again relating to my own business and I buy a word processing software or graphic software I pay for the software and for the right to use it, but I'm just I have one machine That's I'm using it, but when we buy software for the county we have a Multitude of people using that. How does that work with the licensing for the? Seems to me there's some some pretty large numbers there for licensing too. Yeah Software costs have definitely gone up over the years hard work costs have gone down They probably balance themselves over each other through the years Vendors allow you that access capabilities, but they will only license it per Five users per hundred users whatever they have on a network and with the networks out there For them in order to be able to enhance software and continue their maintenance because technology is changing so fast The licensing costs have gone up, but they usually will group them within groups of 550 to 100 And we only license Based on the application for what we need for the users in that department So some applications out there might have five user licenses others might have a hundred it depends on We would pay for every one of those right It's based on a sliding scale that the vendor has established over the last two three four years What are some of the major changes that have have happened in regards to information technology? We should break down Well, like I said when I started we were a centralized mainframe environment You did all the processing within that department and it was really hard to communicate with other pieces of equipment Outside of it if it wasn't attached Today with the new changes in the operating system the infrastructures the internet That has opened up the communications and the online capabilities so that we can remotely talk to different agencies They don't have to be within the same building don't have to even be within the same state The security issues have changed though because of that you are more concerned about the security and the network as well also So the complexity of the communication equipment has grown as well over the years We keep on mentioning 23 departments at your service And and the ability to talk to different machines or different people Maybe you could just Tell us a little bit about two of the departments The sheriff's department and health and human services as to the types of programs that they tie into with our computer system to do their work Sheriff's department has been on the system for a number of years. We have mobiles in the squad cars. We have dispatch Software on for them. We have a records keeping software on for them as well There's detention center has been a new Building that was added on within the last few years and we do fingerprinting and mugshot Applications in those areas as well basic to all of the county agencies. We have word processing. We have Excel We have access for a database and those are all Accessible to all the users as well. They have countywide email Within their agency and they also have internet access for them as well There's sheriff's department has an accident reporting software to that they can take out on the laptop and And an accident scene and do some record Departments have to deal with state agencies and on a daily basis, right? And we have to be able to have our equipment talk to and use the software that they have provided also right a number of years ago. We brought the job center on as a new building and that is totally connected to the county and to the state so the workers within that department have to access the state and We have gateways which are routers and hubs that make that communication possible But they can get at both systems from one PC They can get at the state system and they can toggle and get at the county system as well Human services. There's some new applications coming on that We're working with the state and they will also be accessing information off of the internet this time in order to pull state information You know, it's really nice to have Joyce with us today We've we've had a number of our departments to date and people are very familiar with the sheriff's department and health and human services and Many of the departments to provide service to our constituents and one of the on song heroes clearly is their information systems department what people don't recognize and even within our own organization if it isn't for the support of the information systems department very few of our departments would operate all of the the computer support and systems that are in place what whether it's billing or Cutting paychecks all of those areas your department has a hand in and Joyce as I'm sure our viewers have picked up as a nice demeanor and has a way of handling all that and juggling all those responsibilities, but I know for a fact that People are always putting demands on her for assistance They always want to have her Assistance or her staff assistant first upgrade with information and she certainly is a key to our success One of the things I know that your department in the county as a whole is real Proud of is our new website. Why don't you tell us about that a little bit? Yeah, we were we've been planning on putting this up all probably about the last year and a half and Finally found the time to bring it up this year in May and what we're looking to do is Get information out to the public make it more accessible to them We started out by asking departments to pull information that was pertinent to their information things that they would like to Contribute and put out there for the public so that it makes their departments a little bit more accessible We have been expanding on that We've put some new areas out there share of complaint forms so that the public can interact with it and form a Document out there that they can submit directly to the sheriff's department that can be acted on We also have a new form in the land and water conservation for the tree and shrub program that we've placed out there That again they can fill in the form Enter the information and then print it out at that point in time and bring it into the department for ordering that projects Trees and shrubs so we are going to be expanding on that I think it's a way that it's another media that we have out there in order to get information out to the public We've put our agendas out there for accounting board meetings and our liaison committee meetings We've put the committee minutes out there as well And we've also added to it in the last few months the resolutions and the ordinance out there So that the public can access that information and be aware of what the topics are at the time of the meetings So anyone who has a computer or wants to go to a library can access our website and get our minutes our Meeting agendas can provide input or comment. Don't we have something? There's a public forum out there that we have to that once you're a registered user on there You can ask questions and get answers back based on that particular question. That was addressed And our address is co dot shabuigan dot wi dot us And again, that's www dot co dot shabuigan dot wi dot us So I hope folks will take a look at I know every department has a summary of responsibilities and Their mission statement and if you want to make an anonymous sheriff's department complaint or you want to order some trees at the Land and Water Conservation Department We're really looking for people's input on how we can continue to improve it Another area you've been busy working on is the upgrading the tax software in the treasures department How is that going to benefit taxpayers as well as the efficiency of that office? Some of the changes we're real excited about it because that is Probably one of the last systems that we have on the old mainframe. So we are converting that to a client server environment One of the changes that we're really looking forward to is that fact that the tax bills themselves are going to be a laser form Which should make that document much more readable for the public Also, we're going to be including barcoding on it Which should help the Treasurer's office as well as expediting the receding portion of it We want to include that on the receipts on the payments So we are going to include barcoding and more of the documents as they come in the new system is really Also helping out in the planners office and the real property Plus it's going to give us the ability to keep more years of history out there So that that will be accessible to the public as well on terminals within those agencies So starting this year as people receive their tax bills, they're going to see a little different format right and it should be More legible for them at that point very good You talked earlier about the Sheriff's Department and some of the roles and responsibilities you have there I know many of our viewers have probably heard about the improvement. We're making in our safety Communication system or the 800 megahertz system. What's the status of that project and what are you working on right now? Well, there's really two parts to that project the 800 megahertz is the first major one was The radio project and that's Coney white and in fact I was at the update of a meeting last night and the highway department was the initial department to test it out That has been tested. It's it's running. They've Shares department is utilizing it and it's been rolled out to some of the emblem services and the volunteer fire departments and My understanding is today she went and falls police department was going to be testing their equipment out as well So it's not in full production, but it is being rolled out to the other agencies and being tested The second piece of it is an 800 megahertz We call it the mobile or laptop project and that is going to replace the mobiles that are in the current squad cars right now And those mobiles are between 10 and 12 years old. We've been waiting for the 800 megahertz. We're going to be utilizing the same towers For that 800 megahertz. We're going to be utilizing the microwave system for that and That is equipment is just being delivered now and we're looking to start installing and testing the end of November and That would provide ruggedized laptops in all of the squad cars For the colony and for the municipal agencies the city already has laptops currently So if someone calls into a dispatcher or if one of the radios go down or one of the systems are not working And it's one o'clock in the morning. What happens? And it goes down and it goes down We have people that are currently on staff on call We rotate it through the staff. They maintain 24 hours seven days a week They have a paid pager. They have a cell phone and we've also developed spare park kits for some of the critical equipment that is in the agency so that depending on what the Process was or whatever happened we can replace some of the equipment if it's a power outage We do have UPS systems in Critical areas and we also have generators as well so that we can maintain and kind of keep a System up and going it may not be a full-blown system, but it can address the emergency at hand Yet another area you're working in There's been more emphasis on the importance of land use planning in the county board as part of its budget is Putting more resources into that area or at least is proposing to do so you're working with the planning department on our digitized Mapping system. What's going to be the benefit of that? It's actually three agencies that we've got working on it There's input coming in from the highway department the planning office and land and water conservation And I have a gentleman on staff who is now coordinating that effort to pull all the data that's been collected over the last few years and Bring that into a database so that we've used it this year for the county clerk's office for the redistricting We can use it for community planning as far as soil and aerial maps For the county and we look to expand it emergency government is using it for Evacuation plans so that we can actually plot this stuff out and map it and have it accessible for the Citizens and for the engineers who are coming in to actually do the work for those municipalities Very good. Thank you You talked about just now about the citizens using it. How many of our departments have Computer terminals that the public can use I Would say there's probably about four out there right now most of them being in the administration building There is one that's located in the courthouse for Access for child support and I believe the clerk of courts has one that is access Accessible for the CCAP project for them Is there any way that the public can access any of these departments? From their homes that's what we're looking to Use the web for we are expanding on that what they're really calling out there now is the key words called e-government and To give the public more accessibility to information Expanding on the web we want to look at being able to give more tax information to the public that they can call up parcel information Also that they can call up map information as well, too So if they're looking at their parcel that they're currently living at or if they're looking at a site That where they maybe want to build they should have accessibility to that through the internet So that is something that we're looking for the 2002 time frame to expand on you just have to figure out how to use it like I'd have to figure out how to use it The information might be there, but you have to be able to access we're hopefully good what we're looking at the software That we've been testing out right now seems to be very user friendly And I think it'll be easy for the public to get through that and find the information If not, we do have the webmaster out there that they can always Send the email to us and we could respond back to them and depending on which department Departments information. They're trying to access. I'm sure that there are people in that department that could help them We just the as we're taping as tonight last night we We looked at our preliminary budget and we were able to at least preliminary we haven't passed it yet But to maintain a level tax rate and even lower it by a penny or two and We've been able to do that and still be somewhat creative in some of our programming and some some new ideas one of the one of the things we're looking for is for our department heads to Be creative and the services they provide to the community and be able to do it better, but yet more efficiently also What in the coming year or so are some of the projects that your department is looking at as far as is any Any changes in information technology? We're looking at major change in the registered deeds office. We're going to be replacing the Current system that's there with some new technology, which should speed up the information as far as the retrieval process We're also looking at in human services. We're working with the state to be able to provide a new application for Child support for the child welfare system in that area and we're looking to bring that up. In fact The debt date that we've established right now is January 28th So that will be a way that human services can provide and track services to the clients that they are serving Also looking at public health to expand on a state network for Vaccines so that not just these state agencies or county agencies have access To the number of records or the vaccines that are out there, but also the doctors offices So we are looking at in January providing some training locally here for a couple of those Clinics and also county staff and we're doing that in correlation with the state agencies Well, it's really been a pleasure having you here Joyce One of the things that that really sticks out in my mind as I've dealt with you and your department over the last few years especially the last few years is The word training and you've that words come up quite a bit this last half hour and and I know that's that's key for computers for any information technology is training and I'm glad to hear of all the training that's being offered and and also offered to other municipalities by your staff and and I think that's great and and The better educated and informed our our employees are the better. We'll be able to provide the services to to the community So I'm really I think that's great that that this large amount of training has been I know it's time consuming it And sometimes gets a little repetitive, but but I think I think that's great So, thank you. Thank you next month. We're going to have and wonder Jim or director of Health and Human Services with us It's we've had that department before but it's it's a very large department in county government providing a vast array of services to the community and And she'll be telling us a little bit what Health and Human Services provides in Shibuya County So we hope to see you again next month. Thank you you