We're in the selection process right now. We're holding orals this week.
Okay. Can you provide us, through the Chair, a list of all of the consultants that you have, their name or their 2540 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 company name, and the amount of their contract and the length of their contract?
So you said the strategic plan is $500,000. Does that include the consultant costs or is that just the actual work product?
And the strategic plan is being done by both the consultant and public employees?
Correct. We have what we call an "IT Strategic Plan Committee" comprised of commissioners and deputy commissioners from 23, I believe, of our departments, as well as the cluster CIOs, the e-gov. director and the GIS director and myself and Dr. Bortnick from central IT. So there will be a committee of approximately 28 or 29 that will be the chief architects of this strategy. That will then be 2541 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 taken up to the IT governing board, which is comprised of the CFO, the Chief of Staff, the MDO, and myself.
Back at the Capital Budget hearing on February 13th, there was a request with regard to the customer information work management system, and I think at the time, I was probably only talking about L&I. Your response was, "Equipment will be provided before the roll-out of each module. For example, the work management module, which includes the work order system for L&I, will begin in January '03, equipment will be ordered in December '02 to be available in January '03. Also, L&I will be implementing the Licenses and Inspections module that they purchased from Hanson Corporation this spring and summer prior to the start of CIWMS. This application will be interfaced with CIWMS at the appropriate time." So you're saying that L&I is going to get some level of computerization this spring and summer, and then kind of a brand-spanking-new CIWMS comes later, and then they interface the two systems? 2542 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001
L&I does have some equipment, but if there is additional equipment needed as a part of the permitting system, then that would be procured as a part of that project.
Well, how will any of this computerization help them as whatever their role may be? 'cause we know everybody has a role in NTI. How will any of these systems help them to deal with the NTI Program?
Well, this is a continuation of the work that's been done over the last couple of years in getting L&I to the point of automation. Computers were bought for the departments, so most of the units in L&I now are computerized to so some level. The application for dangerous buildings, where the inspectors go out and maintain the imminently dangerous and dangerous buildings list, is being automated, has been converted from an old system to an Oracle database. That should now be ported out from the Central Office out to the District Offices so that they can better coordinate 2543 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 what's going on with the dangerous buildings. So that information will then be accessible to the NTI people.
Tell me a little bit about the same systems or the customer information work management system for Streets and Water, Public Property. What are they getting out of this and what will these systems do for those departments? What is the expectation here?
Well, the initial phase is that, you know, we've always worked them separate, and there's been no coordination between the departments, and you might get -- for instance, in L&, I we had a call center where we knew that we were getting about 200 calls a month that were going out of our department, and we would issue a control number to that call.
L&I, when I was at L&I. But at the end of the month, we'd know that we had sent that call to another department, but because there was no system coordination, we had no idea what the result of that call was. 2544 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 And with this system, it ties all of those things together, so that when we actually -- if -- calls come in, as you know, from all different kinds of touch points. Any department that touches the customer will be able to go into the system and be able to see that they did call at a certain time, and there will be just a much better coordination between departments.
And then work won't be duplicated that we're not -- a call won't go in to the contractual services or the clean-and-seal department from the citizen and then come from Council or come from some other means. We'll know that that work was already done and there's been a work order issued, and we'll better coordinate those things.
What about Streets and Water? And are there existing only RFPs with regard to any of the various departments, or are there other RFPs out for systems for any other department?
Well, in terms of the work order, this is the system. 2545 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001
This is just the first phase of getting the communication component connected between the departments.
Okay. What, if any, other systems or services are these departments getting from MOIS?
Well, this is the first project, this is the first coordinated project.
Each department has other projects that they're working on that may not be related to work orders.
So in their own individual departments, they're all working on different things. 2546 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001
I understand that, but my question is: Is MOIS either providing a service, working on an RFP, or putting together any other system-related projects or proposals for other departments?
No. Well, you know, there are four clusters. Within this cluster, this is the prime project that is going on.
There are a list of -- there are other projects going on in these. In Public Safety, we've got the Police Information Integrated Network Pin, a project that we -- again, I have had responses to our RFP, are in the selection process --
Right. The Internal Affairs system is being implemented at this time. Once that's been completed, we will have gone through the selection process for the Incident Information 2547 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 System. There's also -- the police has the CAD, the integrated CAD system project.
What will be the new Incident Information System for the Police Department?
Yes. We went out with an RFP. The responses are back. Howard is heading the group is reviewing that now.
Councilman, currently, the Police Department has several disparate systems that they keep information on. The one that we're looking at replacing with this one is the INCT system, and that's where they keep out of their data for call-taking -- excuse me, for report-taking. And what we're going to do with this new system is, we're going to integrate it so that it interfaces with their disparate systems so that you have one repository of information. 2548 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 So you have one, if you will, one gooey interface for the user to use to request information from many systems. It will also interface with the new Police Fire CAD system, so that the information coming from the enhanced 911 system can roll down into the new system, and the operators then will just simply have to fill in the facts of a particular call so that you would have a completed case call on the system without any paper.
How does this affect whatever the officers are doing out on the street? And I think they're filling out, what do you call them, 48s?
48s, yes, sir. This will automate the 48s onto a wireless platform.
Either on a PDA or a small handheld computer. As we're just now evaluating the --
So, I mean, not to 2549 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 give any advertisement to anyone, you're saying that the police officers are going to be carrying, like Palms?
And that's what they're going to take their information down on?
Don't they have a bit of that -- what do they call it, graffiti or some kind of -- (Unintelligible, parties talking over each other.)
Isn't that how you're going to take the information down?
Okay. So instead of writing out the report on the little book that they often carry in their back pocket, you're saying that they're going to carry a Palm, put the information in there, and then transmit wirelessly?
Yes, sir. 2550 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001
Well, is that like a test phase, or are they going to share them?
They're going to share them, just like they do their radios, yes, sir.
What happens if you take down a report and the Palm gets lost?
If the Palm gets lost, well, you have to go back and take the report. We always have a record of the report in the dispatch center.
Because it's sent wirelessly, the data is transmitted at the time of the incident.
I understand, but suppose it's lost before you transmit it?
Well, that's an eventuality 2551 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 that we'd have to also face if someone lost their book. They would have to go back to the scene and take the report again.
The prices are all over. Generally speaking, the case hardened device is right around $1200.
Sir, we're just now evaluating these. We haven't actually implemented them yet.
Okay. What's the conversation on the police side of this discussion?
Well, there's opinions all over the board on this, depending on who you talk to. 2552 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001
Is to eliminate the use of the paper, to speed up the taking of the reports, and to assimilate the complete crime information data automatically rather than involving data reentry from the written reports. It's to have instant information online as you're taking it in realtime.
We will be doing this in a pilot. We will take a district and test the proof of concept.
And have a backup scenario if this doesn't work, so we're not going to just roll the whole thing out and hope it works.
There's a very logical 2553 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 methodology that we'll use for the process.
One last system- related question: Are you working on a billing project with the Water Department?
Yes, we are. That's a part of the CIWMS; it's a billing and collections system.
Okay. We went to monthly billing a little while ago, along with the installation of the AMR. Is there a problem now in the billing section? Is there some kind of a problem that we're trying to solve in billing?
Right. The CBIS system was written back in -- in 1978, it began, and we are in the process of replacing those modules so that we have a current system that allows you to do -- for the customer service rep to see the same bill as the customer would see online, to allow for people to be able to pay for water bills online. So that we're moving the technology into a new phase. And we will also be putting in tools that will enhance the Water Revenue Bureau's ability to collect more bills. We're projecting that through the new tools, that we should see an 2554 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 increase of as much as $4 million in uncollected revenues.
Tell me about some of the discussions with Water as it relates to implementation of this system.
Is it a smooth transition, is there a difference of opinion? How is this moving along?
The Water Department had a project that had been going on over the course of the years that was a reapplication of the old customer billing information system. I came in and the project was over-budget and over time, and I was reviewing all systems that were in that condition and making an evaluation. I spoke to their prime customer. The customer was dissatisfied with the lack of progress towards a billing and collection system and --
Who's the prime customer? 2555 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001
And we were able to include this component as part of the CIWMS system, and we'd have a modern system.
Okay. So it's moving along? You said it's a part of this larger RFP that closes today?
Okay, the Last question in the area. On February 12th, I received, and I'm assuming a whole lot of other people received, an e-mail about access to the Internet. The first version of this I received -- I think you actually could not print it out. The same thing came out the next day, on February 13th, and says: "Dear Internet User: MOIS is changing the way we access the Internet. To prepare for this, please read and follow the instructions below." And in big letters, it says, "You must complete these procedures before February 14th," which the next day, "or you'll no longer be able to 2556 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 access Websites on the Internet." And then it goes on to tell you that only authorized users can access the Internet. Now, naturally, I signed on because I do need to access the Internet from time to time. But it also requires a certain number of procedures and passwords and access codes that are direct and pertinent to the individual. On the same series of days, the 13th and the 14th, there were stories in the newspaper with regard to Comcast, and that Comcast had begun tracking the Web-browsing activities of its one million high-speed Internet subscribers without notifying them. That lasted for a day because they reversed themselves the next day because of customer complaints. The issue here is, what's the level of tracking that goes on with regard to our accessing the Internet, given the level of information you have to put in the system to be able to get on the Internet? And that somewhat similar to what Comcast was doing?
(Addressing colleague.) Do you want to take that? 2557 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001
Dr. Bortnick here. The use of an I.D. -- the use of an I.D. is to identify those people who have basically gone through the process of working with Public Property to recover the charge that Public Property does for the Internet services that are provided by the City. That's basically what that is. It's a log-on I.D. and a password. That's what that is.
Well, were costs not being recovered before? I actually have no idea what you just said.
Okay, let me go back and say, the Public Property Department, together with the Finance Department in the previous administration, established an annual fee.
The identification of individuals who had paid the fee from those who had not paid the fee would be the function of an I.D. and a password. That's what the I.D. and the password does.
It helps distinguish those people who would have paid the fee for 2558 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 accessing the Internet and have been approved to do that from anyone who might be accessing the Internet without having paid that fee.
But it also notifies the system who's accessing the Internet, correct? And does it track where you're going or what you're doing?
This is not where the tracking is taking place that you're concerned about. This is just, Are you an authorized accessor or not?
At the level of about the firewall. The firewall is a piece of equipment and appliance that protects the City of Philadelphia from viruses coming in.
That firewall keeps track of information related in a table, in a log, and 2559 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 has been in place for a number of place; it was built by IBM basically as a way of holding information about where do we get attacks from viruses and this sort of thing, and automatically gives you notification. For example, most recently, with the most recent virus, you may have seen information coming out of the mail system that says "The attachment that you received had a virus." And --
I understand that. I'm not talking about viruses. You know, I don't have any, I'm not spreading any.
Is it similar to the stories that were printed back in February with regard to what Comcast was doing with its customers, which was tracking their Web-browsing 2560 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 activities?
The City has the capability, but we do not track. There is an e-mail policy that has an Internet component to that that says, you know, you're using City equipment, this is for City employees.
From the operations versus the legislative branch. And that, you know, that e-mail and so forth are not private, that, you know, we do track, but we do not have somebody sitting there looking and tracking.
The system logs in a very cryptic file, where people go out to the Internet. When you have your history and you pull that down, you'll see that you can see where your tracking had been. After discussion with President Verna's office --
Okay, let's not 2561 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 leave that place. So you're saying that somewhere, someone has a listing of all of the various places that any of us may have gone to on the Internet who are doing research or trying to look something up, or wherever people may be going. I'm not even talking about, you know, kind of inappropriate or prurient places, and I don't know whether people are or not. But, I mean, for legitimate research purposes, you're saying that MOIS tracks access and use of the Internet and where people go on the Internet to get whatever information they need to do their jobs.
We have the software capability to do that. We do not have staff that track that.
And what happens every time I log into the system and put in the appropriate access codes for this new thing that came in in February?
After meeting with Council 2562 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 President Verna's office, we have a generic password for Council, and we do not track Council. We are in the process of ordering equipment to set you up as a separate server that turns off that capability in the software so that there will be no 7 tracking.
Okay. When you decided to roll this out on the 14th, I mean, other than it being Valentine's Day, what was the significance of sending us an e-mail a day or so basically your Internet access is being shut off if you don't sign up for this, which, naturally, causes everyone to sign up? I mean, what was the impetus for doing it that particular day, and why was there no discussion about this ahead of time?
As you know, we worked in conjunction with your consultant Lonnie Stanley, and we had been working within all of the departments of the City for sometime, and in conjunction with him also. I believe it's really unfortunate that it came to you as such a surprise, and for that reason, I apologize. There should not have been -- there should have been a much more hand-holding 2563 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 process in this, and while we had begun earlier, that did not come to fruition.
I don't want to cut you off, Mr. Bortnick, but we don't have to hold hands. We can just hold a conversation.
On the one hand, we get a variety of kind of little -- I forget what they call 'em. They're not broadcasts, but we get these MOIS alerts from time to time. Some of them have the most meaningless information at the moment -- maybe meaningless to me, maybe pertinent to some other department, but some of them have the most meaningless information in the world in them, which, from time to time, I think causes people at a certain level to almost ignore them. I just happened to click this one on, it popped up and tells me that unless I sign up for some new system, I have no Internet access. So, quite frankly, I didn't even take the time to call you guys to ask the question; I just did the 2564 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 sign-up. Subsequently -- and, as I said, around or about the same time, this other tracking story come out, so it sounds like the City is buying into the same thing that, at least for about hours, 7 Comcast thought was a brilliant idea. They then 8 backed off, and every day, unless you check the 9 little box, which I refuse to do, you've got to 10 sign with everything short of, you know, what boat 11 did your parent come over on? And I don't 12 necessarily think it's appropriate. 13 Now, I understand that in different kind 14 of workplace, the employer has a right to certain 15 information, even with Internet access, and I'm 16 sure there's tons of case law about that. 17 The reality is, is that we're not the 18 average or normal workplace. I don't work for you, 19 so you don't have a right to certain information or 20 access to certain information that I may either 21 send or receive or engage in or do research with. 22 I mean, this is not IBM and we have some, you know, 23 master organization chart and everyone reports up a 24 particular chain. There is a real distinction between what happens on the Administration's side 2565 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 and what happens on the Council side. Now, obviously, you know, we all work for the same people, which is the public, and we're not going to have, you know, a different sanitation system for the executive branch as opposed to for the legislative branch, but in these kinds of matters, I take them very, very seriously, they are tremendously sensitive, and to the extent that you have serious information that you need to communicate to us, I think that it is better communicated either directly or in writing, or ask the President to have a meeting if it's something that affects all of us, but not by, you know, some happenstance e-mail that goes out. I mean, you know, suppose I don't turn my machine on for a day or so? We're in budget hearings every day. I actually don't turn the box on every day, and if I had blown through the 14th, I guess I wouldn't have Internet access. I just happened to see it. So some of things that come out of the office are actually very important to what we do, and to the extent there could be that level of contact and communication and explanation, I mean, 2566 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 we wouldn't, for the moment, have to go through this particular exercise. I'm grateful and appreciate the fact that you're working on a new system. When do you anticipate us having it?
We have the requisition for the proxy server, which is the device that does the I.D. and password separate for Council. And within the procurement cycle, I will be able to get back to you to tell you how long it will take for that particular piece of equipment to be received.
Within the procurement cycle, I'll be able to tell you, you know, how soon that will be able to be implemented. It's a very quick process once the proxy server is received.
Yes. 2567 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001
Okay, all right. Lastly, does the system have the capability yet for access from the outside? Again, in many other different kinds of workplaces, you can actually access your -- the -- I don't know whether ours is called the Intranet, but you can actually access your email system from outside the system. Do we have that ability yet?
Yes. If I was at home, have access to a computer, what is my ability to access -- what is it, CC mail now, Lotus Notes? What is my ability to access Lotus Notes from home?
If you have an Internet provider at home, you can dial through the Web to get access to your e-mail. If you need access to applications that you've been approved to work on, then there's a different type of connection that we set up that is more secure for the employees to come in through, what they call a "virtual private network."
Okay. Well, if someone could maybe share that with us and explain 2568 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 it to us. I mean, every now and then, I mean, you know, you might leave something at the office that came in as of 5. You either don't have it or you just make a quick run down to City Hall and turn the system on, but every now and then, for efficiency's sake, if there was the ability to access the Internet from the outside, that would certainly be helpful.
And what about employees who are in non-traditional worksites that are outside the system; what is their ability to access any of the City's computer system? For instance, I have three staff members, two in one location, one in another location, that are off-site from City Hall. These are public employees, they're on the City payroll, at locations that are not a part of, you know, the triplex, or they're not down at the area building or one of those places; they're out in office space in the district that I represent, but they work for the government. What is their ability to access any of the various systems that we have at this point in 2569 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 time?
We have off-site locations that access the Internet, including recreation centers. Depending on what the requirements are at that location, whether it's mail or systems of various types, we could take a look at it and we'll be able to tell you how it works.
Or they just need to know if they have an address and they want to know who the property is. I mean, the whole --
-- you know, ownership and taxes and water bills and all of that kind of stuff.
Well, for the part that has to do with assessments, on our Website now is the information from the Board of Revision of Taxes. So that's available now.
In relation to the water bills coming through a virtual private network, that secure network connection, that starts with an 2570 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 Internet access and then comes over to us securely, this can be done.
Well, again, I'm sure I'm not the only person that has these kinds of issues, and I was not aware that with the service provider, you could access our own Lotus Notes, or formerly CC mail system. All of that information I think is just very helpful to have, and even I could be trained on how to use it.
With CC mail, you weren't able to do that, so it is just new with your conversion in moving to Lotus Notes, and we will work with the Kimmel group to get you the appropriate training to make sure that they are sharing with you and the other Council offices capabilities that are available.
I appreciate it. Thank you very much Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Are there any other questions? (No further questions.)
Thank you very much. We appreciate you coming in. 2571 3/18/02 - CONT'D OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - 020001 The committee will stand in recess until 1:30. It is my understanding that we're going to have approximately 34 witnesses to testify, so I would like to start promptly at 1:30, if that's possible. Thank you. (Proceedings end at 12:48 p.m.) - - - (Public hearings on Operating Budget appear under separate cover on second transcript dated 3/18/02.) - - - 2572 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia's meeting of the Committee of the Whole of Monday, March 18, 2002, are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. RE: Ordinance No. 020001 _______________________________, Josephine Cardillo Registered Professional Reporter and Notary Public (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)