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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CC-1997-06-18 COMMON COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Special Meeting 7:00 pm June 18, 1997 PRESENT: Mayor Cohen Alderpersons (10) Shenk, Mackesey, Efroymson, Vaughan, Sams, Blumenthal, Hanna, Marcham, Gray, Thorpe OTHERS PRESENT: City Clerk - Conley Holcomb Building Commissioner - Eckstrom Planning Systems Manager - Foster Systems Administrator - Kinne SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS: Override of Mayor’s Veto City Clerk Conley Holcomb read the Mayor’s Veto Message regarding a Resolution Authorizing the Building Department to Prepare RFP for Database Project Phase II into the record: “I believe Common Council acted on this Resolution without having all the facts, and the subject deserves more discussion. The intent of this Resolution is to give public access (presumably via the internet) to building department files. To do so would mean starting the building database development research project over again. A cost-benefit analysis of this decision does not justify this action. The first question is whether there is a guaranteed benefit to issuing another RFP and revisiting the issue of internet access. We are not even sure there is a cost effective internet solution for this database, particularly for a department as small as the Building Department. On top of that, only 1% of the department’s work requires human interface rather than an electronic one, to explain the complexities and options one has based on the variables of their particular situation. The database as developed to date will allow the Building Department to provide better service to their customers, while not precluding the provision of it’s data on the internet at a later time. We have expended 42 days (336 hours) worth of Planning Department staff time and 21 days (138 hours) of Building Department staff time on this project already. If I were convinced that starting over would net us a better solution that we could afford, I would not be concerned about the time investment we have already made. Staff morale is an issue here too. Staff has put in a great amount of time and energy into this project. The goal of their efforts was to address the workflow of the Building Department, and design a database to support their day to day activities. We have encouraged our staff to be more involved in finding solutions, and now we are invalidating their work because we want to focus on the 1% of their work that has relevance to the public, rather than the 99% that has relevance to them. The 1% of Building Department data that is applicable to public access can be provided for in another, more cost effective manner at a later time. June 18, 1997 2 I support our efforts to provide public access to everything we possibly and legally can. To do so, we need to provide an infrastructure that we can use as a platform from which our various departmental databases can be launched into the internet. To do this requires a comprehensive look at all of our databases, and an investigation of the best way to integrate them for public access. Once we have built the hardware foundation for the internet, we must build a software foundation that not only provides for public access, but also integration of our different departmental databases. Up until now, we have been approaching this in a piecemeal fashion that does not allow for this integration. I am vetoing this Resolution for these reasons. Alan J. Cohen” Building Commissioner Eckstrom requested that Common Council not override the Mayor’s Veto, but support an Amended Resolution which he distributed to Council members. Building Commissioner Eckstrom requested that the Building Department be allowed to administer parallel projects that would continue the development of software to address the department’s individual needs, but also work with staff to explore ways in which Building Department data could be made accessible through the internet. Amendment of Capital Project #211 for Building Department Software By Alderperson Blumenthal: Seconded by Alderperson Hanna WHEREAS, Common Council at its Regular meeting in September 1995 approved a conceptual computer plan in the amount of $52,150 to purchase various computer hardware and software to assist the Building Department in becoming more effective and efficient, and WHEREAS, of the $52,150 computer plan $28,120 was authorized by Common Council at its September 1995 meeting to upgrade the Building Department’s computers and office software leaving a balance of $24,030, and WHEREAS, the second part of the computer plan was to include Building Department specific software to automate the department’s information systems and processes, and WHEREAS, the Building Department received responses to a request for proposals dated November 8, 1996 from several different vendors of software products that will manage building permit processing, inspections of various types, and zoning and approval information, and WHEREAS, the Building and Planning Department staff has examined all of the responses to the request for proposals and recommended that a phased approach be used that will segment the software development project in order to better manage the project and stay within the conceptual computer plan budget, and WHEREAS, phase 1 of the software development project has been completed by Geodemographics, Inc. and the team of City staff working on the project has concluded that proceeding to develop the application and the database structure with the same vendor is the best choice to stay within the existing budget, time constraints and develop software that suits the needs of the Building Department staff, and June 18, 1997 3 WHEREAS, the City staff and Geodemographics, Inc. have determined that proceeding to develop the software will enhance the future provision of public access to information because the software system will allow the Building Department to build and maintain the data and that the software development will insure easy ways of developing appropriate public access, and WHEREAS, City staff are proceeding expeditiously to explore and pool resources to allow for development of public access systems to appropriate parts of Building Department data and other information on the internet and intend to develop such systems to provide such access alongside the development of the Building Department software; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That Common Council, based on the recommendations from the Building and Planning Departments, authorizes the Building Department to proceed to contract with Geodemographics, Inc. to develop the management software, and, be it further RESOLVED, That Capital Project #211 Computer Acquisition be amended to include the balance of the funds approved in the conceptual computer plan which is an amount not to exceed $24,030 to be used for this purpose, and, be it further RESOLVED, That said funds will be derived from the issuance of serial bonds. Extensive discussion followed on the floor regarding the future provision of internet access, and the creation of a City Web policy. Alderperson Hanna stated that he has polled software vendors who say that including internet access at this point is viable, and many of them would be ready to go forth with the project. Alderperson Hanna further stated that he is willing to support this resolution with the understanding that the City is truly committed to move forward with public access. A vote on the Resolution resulted as follows: Carried Unanimously Alderperson Efroymson requested that the following information be included in the record: M E M O R A N D U M To: Common Council From: Richard L. Eckstrom, Building Commissioner Re: Building Department Software I am coming to Common Council tonight to ask you to vote for the attached resolution reinstating the Building Department’s software project as it was proposed by the software selection team. Therefore, I am asking that you not override the Mayor’s veto of the resolution passed at the last Common Council meeting. While I viewed the June 4th resolution as an opportunity to take the Building Department software project in a new direction, on further thought and after talking to department heads, I don’t think the City is ready to head in June 18, 1997 4 that direction in a time frame that will still meet the department’s software needs. The question of public access to City records is not for the Building Department to answer alone. This is an issue that must be addressed by all City departments working together. There are profound policy decisions that must be made about access to City information. Simply put, some portions of City records should not be readily accessible to the public via the internet because it invades the privacy of individual citizens. Should direct marketers, for example, be able to harvest the names and addresses of people who have violated building codes in order to try to sell them vinyl siding and replacement windows? These privacy issues must be tackled by Common Council - not the Building Department - and the solutions must be policy-driven. Another issue raised by this conflict is the apparent misconception that simply displaying our data will answer people’s questions. In my experience, the public usually needs our help in interpreting the data. The questions people most often ask are: “What does this mean I can do with my property?” and “What would I have to do to accomplish my goal?” Neither question can be answered easily by allowing an inexperienced property owner to search the data in the department’s proposed system. The goal of our project is to make this data available to the Building Department’s professional staff to help us interpret property rights and manage our work flow to deliver our services. Please remember that the software was originally proposed as a solution for the department’s permanent loss of a Housing Inspector through an early retirement program. It is not the intention of the Building Department to hide data from the public. As many of you know, we have an open file policy. If the public wants to review information in our paper files, those files are available at any time the Building Department is open. There are two exceptions - court ordered sealed records and records relating to litigation. We are in favor of providing data to the public through the internet which allows the public access to what is happening in their community. Our proposal as originally conceived would allow public access to Building Department data in the future, but its primary purpose is to give our department the software tools it needs. there can be no public access to the data before the Building Department itself can create, maintain and use the data. As a team member put it, you cannot install the landscaping before the house is built. The application we have proposed will build and maintain our data. That same data will be there for the public when Common Council deems public access to be appropriate. The Building Department has a great deal of information that would be useful to include on the internet. In fact, for some months now I have been working on a web site by first compiling material that would be useful. This project is now expanded to include Planning Systems Manager, Doug Foster. Together we are designing a site that would mine Building and Planning Department data and provide public internet access to information that does not conflict with privacy rights. You will be hearing about this project as it develops. BUILDING PERMIT TRACKING SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS - 1997 June 18, 1997 5 1. THE WHAT The following is what the database application will do: A. BUILDING PERMIT PROCESSING Building Permit Review & Issuance Pre-Issuance Search - search by address, tax parcel number, owner, etc. Link with and search existing databases for the following data: a) tax parcel/tax assessment data b) zoning districts, permitted land use categories c) history of existing approvals Display owner and land use data by parcel and building Determine which zoning districts the tax parcel or building is located in (derived from GIS files) Display zoning requirements that apply to property Display history of approvals Print requirements of zoning ordinance Building Permit Issuance Input building permit application data Track status of required approvals prior to issuance Print issued building permit Print receipt of payment Input and print a list of required inspections Building Permit Tracking Track status of building permit application or issued permit Link with inspection tracking function Input inspection results Print lists and notices Search by parcel number, address, and inspection variables Related Reports and Notices Print monthly and annual reports Periodic and special reports to be defined as part of work-flow analysis User-defined queries and reports B. BUILDING INSPECTION TRACKING Tracking of Inspections Type I - Input and search inspection results for each inspection related to a building permit Type II - Input and search inspection results on periodic inspections of owner and renter- occupied housing Scheduling of Periodic Inspections of Owner and Renter- occupied Housing Automate scheduling of periodic inspections of owner and renter-occupied housing - Type II Display and print list of properties due for inspection - Type II Track Status of Inspections Search and print lists of inspections in progress - Type II Billing for Period Inspections Type II June 18, 1997 6 Automated billing for periodic inspections Track inspectors’ time spent Calculate fee Print bill and receipt Certificate of Compliance Input approvals and print COC Issuance of Temporary or Permanent Certificate of Occupancy Input approvals and print TCO and CO Related Notices and Reports Request for Inspection Periodic and special reports to be defined as part of work-flow analysis User-defined queries and reports C. CODE VIOLATIONS AND COMPLAINTS PROCESSING Manage Complaint and Code Violation Occurrence and Resolution** Input incidence of complaints and violations Print STOP WORK ORDER and other notices Track resolution of complaint or violation **All violations and complaints are related to either a permit or inspection 2. THE WHY  Provide rapid, one-stop access to key information*in order to answer the questions of building permit applicants and would-be applicants more quickly** Flood zone proximity Zoning district Historic district Other special districts Property ownership Building history *Used in pre-application, application and review stages **Currently searching in several sources Record permits, inspections, violations and complaints and store in a format that makes it easy to retrieve (searching based on criteria, such as address, status, owner name, contractor, etc.) Ascertain quickly the status of any given permit, inspection, violation, complaint and assure that each is brought to closure/resolution for Inspectors Plan Reviewers Rental Specialist Management Provide access to information in a format that is easily summarized and analyzed (i.e. reports and selective searches) by Management Public Council Staff Minimize the number of sources a review officer or inspector would normally need to go to for information (maps, tax rolls, and the property file) Remove any duplication of effort on making determinations on a particular property if the caller follows up with someone else June 18, 1997 7 Issue (and print) standard permits, notices, certificates of compliance and occupancy and routine letters directly from the application, thereby reducing the amount of time spent preparing these and Provide a tool for workload management and planning RECESS: On a motion Common Council recessed at 8:00 pm. RECONVENE: Common Council reconvened into regular session at 8:10 pm. BOSNIAN PROJECT: Mr. John Weiss addressed Council to introduce the children from Bosnia, along with their Principal, that were brought to America for a visit with funds raised by KIDSREACH, a local group of Youth that was recently awarded Common Council’s Distinguished Youth Award. The group thanked Common Council for their donation to this project, and shared their experiences, both during the Bosnian War, and their trip to America, with Council members. EXECUTIVE SESSION: By Alderperson Marcham: Seconded by Alderperson Mackesey RESOLVED, That Common Council adjourn into Executive Session to discuss a personnel item. Carried Unanimously RECONVENE: Common Council reconvened into Regular session with no items being brought forth. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 pm. Julie Conley Holcomb,CMC Alan J. Cohen, City Clerk Mayor