BCC Minutes 10/12/1994 W (Conceptual Plans: DOR, Information Systems, and Unified Development Code) Naples, Florida, October 12, 1994
LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Board of County Commissioners in
and for the County of Collier, and also acting as the Board of Zoning
Appeals and as the governing board(s) of such special districts as
have been created accordinG to law and having conducted business
herein, met on this date at 3:30 P.M. in WORKSHOP SESSION in Building
"F" of the Government Complex, East Naples, Florida, with the
following members present:
CHAIRMAN: Timothy J. Constantine
VICE-CHAIRMAN: Betrye J. Matthews
John C. Norris
Michael J. Volpe
Burr L. Saunders
ALSO PRESENT: E/lie Hoffman, Deputy Clerk; DwiGht Brock, Clerk
of Courts; Nell Dotrill, County Manager: Jennifer Edwards, Assistant
to the County Manager; David Weige] and Marlorie Student, Assistant
County Attorneys; Bill Lorenz, Environmental Services Administrator;
Leo Ochs, Administrative Services Administrator; Mike Smykowskt,
Acting Budget Director; Ed Kant, Transportation Services Engineer:
Mike McNees, Acting Utilities Administrator; Ron Cook, Utilities
Finance Director; Dick Clark, Acting Community Development Services
Administrator; Guy Carlton, Tax Collector; Abe Skinner, Property
Appraiser; Barbara Westcott, Information Systems Coordinator; Jeff
Perry, MPO Coordinator; and lack Wamp]er, EMS Billing Supervisor.
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October 12, 1994
Legal notice having been published in the Naples Daily News on
October 11, 19S4, as evidenced by Affidavit of Publication filed with
the Clerk, a workshop was held to consider the establishment of a
Department of Revenue and an office of Information Technology for
Collier County.
Tape #1
DISCUSSION RE A CONCEPTUAL PLAN FOR A COLLIER COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF
REVENUE
Legal notice having been published in the Naples Daily News on
October 11, 1994, a workshop was held to consider a Department of
Revenue for Collier County, as evidenced by Affidavit of Publication
filed with the Clerk.
County Manager Dorrill announced that the workshop will deal with
two items followed by the 5:05 P.M. meeting with regard to amendments
to the Unified Development Code. He indicated that the two topics
pertain to a unified Department of Revenue (DOR) proposal and an
improved proposal for an office of Automated Information Systems.
Mr. Dorrill stated out that the issue pertaining to automation
results from incorporation in the independent external audltor's mana-
gement letter in the past two years, pointing to the fact that the
Board's agency seems under automated. He noted that staff has deve-
loped a proposal, jn this regard, through the Quality Management Team.
Assistant to the County Manager Yonkosky advised that the purpose
of a Department of Revenue is to take similar activities that are
spread throughout the departments of the Board of County Commissioners
and incorporate same to take advantage of certain cost benefits, bene-
fits in the use of equipment and benefits in the use of mobility of
people from one function to another.
Mr. Yonkosky explained that in 1993, the actual cash dollars that
came into the County is $191 million and a major segment of this money
is from ad valorem taxes and ]ntergovernmenta] revenues which are
collected locally, ].~. sales tax and gas taxes.
Mr. Yonkosky indicated that current]y, the County is responsible
oo, fleO '.: 03
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October 12, 1994
for 38 special assessment rolls and eight of these are tax bills and a
part of the non ad valorem assessment which appears on the lower half
of the tax bills. He noted that there are 12 other rolls that are
collected by the Tax Collector, however, the Board's staff prepares
and sends these bills out. He revealed that there are 18 rolls that
are the responsibility of the Board and the cash is collected by the
Clerk's staff.
Mr. Yonkosky reported that the charges for services, in total, are
approximately $76 million. He stated that the only requirement for
the method of collect]on is the process by which those revenues
evolve.
Mr. Yonkosky cited that the Utilities Division is responsible for
providing potable water and collecting and treating wastewater. He
remarked that as part of the process, this Division is also respon-
sible for the billing and collection of the revenue.
Mr. Yonkosky stated that there are approximately 80,000 units in
the United States that provide water and sewer services. He revealed
that approximately 3% of the 80,000 actually provide the billing ser-
vice and this is generally provided by a finance department. He
advised that this ties in with the philosophy that is recommended for
the Board to approve the DOR and take the cash flow of the revenue
billing and collection processes and place this in one department.
Mr. Yonkosky stated that there are three significant billing units
in Collier County: EMS Billing; Utility Billing; and Special
Assessment Billing. He recalled that the Board recently took action
with regard to the ambulance billing.
Mr. Yonkosky cited an example relative to the utilities special
assessment for the East and South County. He explained that there is
an interest rate associated with this assessment, a charge for the
discount that Is billed into when It is collected on the tax bill, a
charge for the Tax Collector for processing, and an administrative
charge. He stated that new software can accommodate those special
assessment billings and remove the middle layer of the costs. He
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October 12, 1994
indicated that these savings would be immediately passed on to the
individuals paying the special assessments.
Mr. Yonkosky advised that the same services with less staff will
be provided in the billing section of the DOR. He pointed out that
there will not be a requirement to hire temporary personnel to stuff
the bills.
Mr. Yonkosky called attention to the customer service section of
the DOR and suggested that this is the opportunity for the Board to
have in place an organization that can work across the board to deter-
mine a persons's bill, answer questions, and track customer service
complaints. He noted that the software will allow complaints to be
entered into that customer's account.
Mr. Yonkosky indicated that there is currently one person in
Utilities who has the responsibility of impact fee financing which
is done manually, however, one of the solutions is to automate this
function and this person could take care of all the intake counseling
for people believing they qualify for hardship. He noted that this
person would monitor, evaluate and present recommendations to the
Board. He stated that he recommends a small number (3) of
knowledgeable and experienced people provide all of the calculations
and collections of impact fees.
Mr. Yonkosky reported that there will be a savings of $285,000
after the first full year of operation under the DOR.
Commissioner Saunders questioned whether the Constitutional
Officers are in accord with Mr. Yonkosky's proposal.
Clerk Brock affirmed that he has looked at the proposal which con-
tains some good things as well as some bad things. He cited that he
has concerns with respect to the things he does not know about. He
noted that the process has to eventually interface with his accounting
system and this t~ not addressed ~n the proposal. Additionally, he
remarked that he does not understand the specifics of how the money
will supposedly be saved. He revealed that this proposal affects the
Board's agency as well as other Constitutional agencies. He said that
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October 12, 1994
he has not been privy to the thought process involved with the propo-
sal.
Mr. Brock suggested that the Board set up a task force, allowing
Commissioner Matthews to participate with all the Constitutional offi-
cers to analyze what is taking place with input from everyone as
opposed to input from only the Board's staff. He noted that the
unanswered questions need to be explored.
Commissioner Saunders concurred that there should be sufficient
dialogue between the Board's staff and the Constitutional Officers
with regard to the DOR. He questioned the anticipated amount of time
needed to address any unaddressed questions. Mr. Brock stated that
one month should be sufficient to have all the information and review
same.
Commissioner Constantine suggested that Clerk Brock submit a list
of questions and concerns within the next two weeks to have these mat-
ters addressed.
Tax Collector Carlton acknowledged agreement with Mr. Brock's
suggestion to have meetings with Commissioner Matthews and the
interested Constitutional Officers.
Commissioner Constantine stated that County Manager Dotrill and
Mr. Yonkosky will coordinate meetings with the Constitutional Officers
within the next two weeks.
(1100)
Item #4
DISCUSSION RE AN OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR COLLIER COUNTY
Legal notice having been published in the Naples Daily News on
October 11, 1994, a workshop was held to consider an Office of
Information Technology for Collier County, as evidenced by Affidavit
of Publication filed with the Clerk.
Ed Kant, repz-esentlng the County Manager's Management Information
Systems Steering Committee, introduced the members of the committee.
He noted that one year of direct research has gone into Information
Systems technology.
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October 12, 1994
Mr. Kant explained that the committee was given two major
missions: continue to review the C]erk's service to the Board with
regard to computer requirements; and analyze and perform strategic
planning related to the Board's future Information Technology (IT)
needs.
Mr. Kant advised that historically, the Board has contracted with
the Clerk for basic financial services (FMS, Payroll, etc.), however,
over the past 12 years, the number of services provided has grown to
include many programs and operations, over and above those originally
contracted for, as depicted in the slide presentation.
Mr. Kant stated that presently Automated Information Systems (AIS)
has two systems personnel to service over 300 accounts. He indicated
that the Utilities Division employs one individual. He cited that
Public Services uti]izes a library science analyst to maintain their
automated catalog system.
Mr. Kant reported that Facilities Management is currently respon-
sible for the installation/maintenance of all County phone lines and
since voice and data communications are becoming increasingly
integrated, this type of technology must be included tn the proposal.
Mr. Kant explained that the Clerk utilizes at least three
employees to maintain a variety of mostly in-house developed software.
Mr. Kant related that because the limitations of the current IT
staff are somewhat fragmented, there is not a simple authority to turn
to for consulting or new program needs. In addition, he cited there
are no written standards for the acquisition of new hardware/software,
and as a result, many departments proceed with data processing purcha-
ses or program changes without any technical consultation or by hiring
outside consultants to assist in their decision making.
Mr. Kant indicated that the County currently does growth manage-
ment planning, ]and use p]anning, transportation p3anning and other
areas of future planning, however, without a centralized IT depart-
ment, future technology planning is an area that ts overlooked. He
noted that based on ti~is background, the Steering Committee is recom-
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October 12, 1994
mending the formation of a IT Department within the County Manager's
agency.
Mr. Kant explained that among the major goals of an Integrated
information technology department is the ability to research in an
integrated and comprehensive manner the client/server technology
toward which desk top computing is rapidly moving; the ability to
standardize both in hardware and software as well as in network com-
ponents; the ability to integrate the vast variety of different sub
systems, local area networks and small wide area networks presently in
use; the ability to centralize new program evaluation; the ability to
use the present and possible future telecommunications systems to
enhance both the telecommunication system and the computer systems;
and assist tn the implementation of a county-wide geographical infor-
mation system.
Mr. Kant referred to the package, as presented, depicting the pre-
sent allocated funding and the proposed funding. He noted that start
up funding is available In Reserves as the result of a turn back from
the Clerk, and there is in excess of $300,000 in this account. He
announced that he believes start up of this department can begin with
approximately $130,000.
Mr. Kant stated that there are currently nine employees scattered
throughout the agency, with no central reporting responsibility. He
proposed that this would be a phased approach over two to three years.
He advised that the first step would be to form the department,
realign the people involved, and begin to set forth a mission state-
ment for that department.
Mr. Kant affirmed that the benefits of a new IT department would
be a decrease in dependence on consultants; increase the integration
of hardware/software systems; increase in efficiency tn the utiliza-
tion of desk top applications; standardization of software, hardware
and network equipment; accountability for the technology in place; and
planning functions.
Clerk Brock stated that he would like to address the MIS issue at
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October 12, 1994
the same time the DOR Issue will be addressed. He cited that he would
like to explore the proposal to determine where the differences are.
County Manager Dorrill explained that he does not believe there is
a dispute in terms of what is needed but there is a difference of opi-
nion in terms of security, as it pertains to the network and th~s does
need to be reviewed. He affirmed that this is a very compllcated
issue.
Mr. Brock concurred, noting that this is something that should be
left to the experts. He revealed that he has sought advice from
Coopers & Lybrand, at no cost, fn addition to advice from the people
who installed most of the network.
Commissioner Constantine remarked that it is encouraging that both
sides of the opinion are willing to discuss the matter and leave the
decision up to the experts.
In answer to Commissioner Matthews, Mr. Kant advised that he is
not suggesting that the mainframe be thrown out since there are a
number of applications which run much more efficiently on a mainframe.
He noted that present reliance is on that external service bureau con-
cept for the County's needs and there are a variety of PC's and dif-
ferent operating platforms. He remarked that what was yesterday's
state of the art is now run of the mill and the County needs to keep
abreast of this situation.
Commissioner Norris questioned whether staff has undertaken a
financial analysis. Mr. Kant recalled that staff presented a draft
executive summary which included background ]nformation with respect
to costs. He announced that there is currently $1 million per year
being devoted to the current function and there is still 81 million to
be committed under the proposed system.
Mr. Kant explained that of the $1 million, there is $370,000 tn
transfers to the Clerk. He r~pt~rted there will stl/] be transfers to
the Clerk, however, there will be more bang for the buck with better
control with regard to how that technology is served within the
Board's agency.
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October 12, 1994
There being no further business for the Good of the County, the
meeting was adjourned by Order of the Chair - Time: 4:50 P.M.
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