Laserfiche WebLink
.In the meantime, all of the department's employees .were given the opportunity <br /> to apply for positions which were to be created to operate and maintain the <br /> system. Workshops and training sessions were conducted with.the aid of the <br /> vendor. The people displaying the most capabilities were transferred into <br /> the newly created positions and charged with the responsibility of operating <br /> . . the data processing system. <br /> • <br /> A lot of criticism has been focused in this area. Much of these criticisms <br /> came about only because the department utilizes a computer as an essential <br /> part of its operations and when one thinks of EPD for the County, this <br /> particular computer facility comes to mind. Misconception of the capabilities <br /> of a computer is also the cause of this criticism. People tend to think that . <br /> the computer is a cure-all for problems in management information and <br /> accounting systems. • The computer cannot program itself for specific <br /> • <br /> applications. Staffing is needed to .program, test, implement, and operate <br /> each application. The department's computer is too small to handle the needs <br /> of the County. The Director of Finance's request for a "higher powered" <br /> computer was rejected by the Council . Now, the County must use the department's <br /> • computer which will be used only for its accounting and payroll applications. • <br /> .All other applications must wait until someone is able to convince the Council <br /> that the needs of the County are greater than the' capabilities of the department's <br /> equipment. <br /> When the department rejected proposals to handle the needs of the County, it <br /> was due to staff limitations , not because it did not want to "cooperate. " <br /> • The sewer billings and the improvement district applications would not be <br /> on the computer if the criticism that the department did not want to cooperate <br /> was valid. <br /> In 1964, the department had 10,100 customers on its billing system. Four <br /> employees operated the billing system. The customer count now In 1979 is <br /> 21 ,000. The -number of employees remains the same -- four. <br /> • <br /> • -6 •- <br />