Communication, Technology & Information Systems Committee - Regular Meeting

Alright. Good morning, everybody. Hi. Good morning. Welcome to the CTIS committee meeting for 04/01/2026 at 08:30 in the Executive Conference Room. First, have roll call. Card I'm gonna call you card in this. I mean, you know Yeah. Here. And Juan Moreno? Here. Okay. Let's see. Approval of the minutes from 03/02/2026. Do we have any

I got a motion to approve. So moved.

And Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye. Alright. We have no citizens here to be heard on an agenda item. So we'll go to the first agenda item, which which is number 9579, award of contract to Tyler Technologies for implementation of enterprise permitting and licensing solution in the amount of $156,009 annually plus an amount not to exceed $260,100 for a one time implementation fee. So what was what's going on here?

So, this is a pretty exciting project, in my opinion. Couple of months ago, committee here had brought up and and a few council members had brought up, the inefficiencies within neighborhood services based on kind of the lacking technology there. And this was the solution. So in 2024, you may recall we did a large investment assessment, citywide of our use of Tyler's, ERP system. It's called EERP, formerly known as Munis.

And that brought to light a lot of inefficiencies within the community development, department. And so we did some research, looked at a few different options of software packages that could help increase their efficiency, revamp their business processes, bring everything kind of into modern times, get them off paper. And we did a demo of Tyler's, e p and l, enterprise permitting and licensing, module, and we found that this is kind of hitting all of the marks for neighborhood services to get them off of their antiquated paper processes out in the field when they're doing their inspections, their rental inspections, things like that. We know that they're bringing paper back to the office. They've got administrative staff that that is then doing all of the data entry.

And so this solution will touch that neighborhood services process, but it's also permitting licensing for the entire city. And so that's building permits. It's code enforcement. It's business licensing, liquor licensing, special events middle touch, the cultural affairs group. So, you know, everybody has seen the demo. Everyone seems to be very excited about what this can do for, all of the different divisions within community development.

There are

mobile apps for field workers that'll allow them to, in the field, make make their notes and submit, all of their inspections, increasing efficiency, like, tenfold. Right? EP and L integrates right with Tyler's ERP. So the folks who have to pay for their their permits, you know, it'll all flow through seamlessly. There's GIS integrations, so folks who are applying for special event permits can use utilize the GIS maps versus, you know, maybe just a a Google Maps or something, that is just kind of homegrown.

They can they can use the actual system of record. So, you know, that's that's kind of software in a nutshell. Do you have any questions about it? Go ahead.

We call him.

So on the not at the end I'm the end user, but

the the client side or the neighbors, like, the residents, right, or the permitting, would they have, like, then a

user and a password that go in and view

Yes. Their stuff. Yes. I I failed to mention that. There is a resident facing

Yeah.

Portion where they are able to go in and apply for their permits. And there can be communication back and forth between city staff and the resident, to make that an even more efficient process too.

Like for the events side and then also for, like, if

you got

a home inspection

and, you know, kinda what got

Yes.

Dinged and what's gotta get checked off or

whatever. Absolutely.

Okay. Yes. Yeah. I think that's that's crucial because that's something we're lot of people just wondering what you know, where am I at? What stage is it at or where?

That's question. A Why do you No. I it sounds sounds good. I mean, we're efficient now, and we can cut time down and we're got the red tape, I guess. We're we're updating everything. So now you so what we how we used to do it for the rental inspections, people are the inspector. We're going to the house and fill everything out, bring it back to the city,

turn it in, and

then someone else does the

They put it. Yeah.

That's Correct.

Horrible. So great. I'm I'm I'm for

it. Yep.

Yeah. I mean, to go on with Amanda has said is to to play on that is a big part of this project is reviewing their their current process and hopefully making some major changes in how they are fundamentally doing their jobs every day as well as the software. This is looking to be probably a twelve to eighteen month project, probably leaning more on an eighteen month side question. Our experience. Because I know all of you guys are really invested in this. We'll give you regular updates here during the community meetings just so you guys know where where we're going with this and how it's going. But, yeah, this is a this is a major change for all of these areas and just how they're gonna do their day to day work and things like that.

Could could there be potential, like, certain areas being launched first? Obviously, like you said, twelve

to eighteen months process, but, like, can we say, like, the best use rental inspection. Right. Which one might, like, pay in six months? This will be a lot, but before it's fully

That is definitely something that I would bring up during a project kickoff meeting with them is to kind of say, hey. In order of importance to the city, you know, let's let's prioritize the rental inspection program. Let's prioritize special events. They're they're really kind of jumping to, to move into a more efficient process too, and and so this would this would help them too. So yeah.

Well, that's this is great news. Mean, is Yeah. This is our last meeting, but we're bringing all this up. You know, we were talking about the events and we were talking about, you know, how inefficient it is to try to do that. The application was such a crazy process. The

application. Truck.

You know that I've been talking about the rental inspection process and how to make it more efficient. I do have another question though because we're just kind of in this area. With project docs Mhmm. I have been having some not so great returns as far as comments that the they'll go in and they'll submit, you know, their information and then, you know, the the initial whatever plot plot, And it will go to all the different, areas within, you know, the city for everybody to look at it and make their comments. But during the process, you know, say one one division has put in these comments and then it's gonna move on to the next one, they're not able to see the comments to be proactively working on what the problems might be in one area.

And it's just making things bogged down so much that they could have even have had put answers in so that when the next group gets it, they can be already solved the problems that, you know, the first group was looking at. So it's really extending the process for some of these developers.

And we'll definitely look at that because the way project docs is supposed to work is supposed to be iterative. So as soon as somebody it it doesn't matter if building's still reviewing, but the engineers if engineers have completed it, they should already be getting that information from the engineers. So they're

It's my understanding that they're not. They're they're getting it all at the very end, And then they're bogged out with all of these questions at one time.

Well, that's fair.

I think from my experience from some other people that had that same issue was the fact that I don't know if it's so much a project docs issue more than a process issue down there.

Where they're not releasing it.

Where they themselves say, I'm not gonna look at it until

This is time for And so this this is all done. I'm not gonna even look at it. And then

they wait till because they feel like there's a change there, which I think, you like you said, it bogs things down because there's that way you could have easily answered this question. But, again, it's their process, nothing to do with product. It's them that's not allowing

I think you're absolutely correct.

They just don't wanna look at it because I'm like, until I have it all there, I'm not looking

at it. You know? I don't know

if it's just a matter of because they wanna just focus on things that are a 100% completely before they're moving

on. Yeah.

That's kinda when they're not. Yeah.

They should be working to get

it done.

Yeah. So we'll we'll work with Jessica. She's our you know, I mean, you guys probably know Jessica. She's kind of our point person on project docs the building department. And she kind of administrate administers that whole system there.

We'll we'll

work with her if I

can that process.

Is there any reason why each department would not want to release the comments? I mean, they're they're in the end, they're going to be released. Correct? I would imagine.

Yes. I've never you know, the way you guys are describing how it should work is how it's supposed to work for you. Yeah. So if there's some kind of breakdown there, then that I I agree with

your thoughts. Try to think I'm

trying to think of the the issue where it came in was I wanna say it was a new restaurant in that's happening in Boulevard. I have

it happening right now, so I can talk to you guys about it after.

Yeah. Absolutely. Okay. Let's yeah. Because if we had a specific example of those, that that's great to have some examples. You can sit down here on where the breakdown is going.

I have an email. So

That that's great that you said I'll say that, Sherry. I I think you said it better than I that I I think I tried explaining that, the last meeting, but I was leaning in more towards, like, the planning commission, but that makes it a 100% sense. Building side. Yeah. And the building side also. You know, it's funny.

Putting a perimeter.

Where I work at, it took him two months for it's at the county, though. It's it had nothing to do with Juliet. It's at the county. It took him two months to return a paper that says, hey. We gotta get these things done. He's like, why why can't I get this paper to go to? You know what mean? I think it's it's it's insane.

Yeah. But Slow down project.

Yeah. Well, that's

what I thought too. I mean, if we we, you know,

invested all this money in project docs, this is what's it's supposed to be making it more efficient and more you know, let's move this along. And instead, it it just seems like it's something is not going right. Perfect. Or it would be working better. So okay. Well, I appreciate it. Yeah.

Definitely. I'll take that. I also just wanted to notate the the cost of the e p and l project. We did budget, capital funds. We we did a capital request, for the implementation, and the the implementation cost fall within what we had budgeted. K? So

Motion to approve. 9579? Yes. So move. Second in. All in favor? Aye.

Good. 9581, award of contract to Tyler Technologies for the time clock upgrade in the amount of $47,700.

This one, pretty routine. This is a just a an not even an upgrade. Just a replacement of, the current time clocks that are, spread all through the city. The the current time clocks are coming to be end of life later this year. They have been I think I think this is the original set of time flex that we that we put in a number of years ago when we moved the the timekeeping and payroll into into the Tyler system.

So it is time for an upgrade. And so this is just a full replacement of everything throughout the city. To note, we did do already replaced two. And we did kind of a a pilot program, to allow folks to use their, employee badge to punch in and out. The that pilot went really well.

Folks, some folks in IT used it. The customer service department used used the badges to to punch in and out, and, I mean, everything was pretty seamless. They all seemed to really like it. So this, update to the time clocks will also allow citywide for for that to occur.

Go ahead.

So I know a lot of places now,

they do the time clocks, like, on their phones, like the app or whatever. Do they not have anything like that yet? Or is that something We do.

Yeah. So our our, type of meeting system, it's it's very robust. So, like, you could you can actually punch in at your computer. You can use your phone. You can use the time clocks. You can just auto fill it. Like, you can just manually fill in fill the time clock time machine in, you know, at the end of your time period. So it does it does have all the assumptions. We just it depends on where you're at, the speed. It is really efficient to just kind of walk by tap your badge when you walk because we put them right by the entrance and. And it's kind of a different managers want different their people to use different methodology. So

But we don't do a written one. You just say that we do a written one?

No. Not not like actual paper, but you can actually go in and just, like, it.

Got it. Yeah. Yeah. But it's time stamped by the computer. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

No. No. It's all a

100 and We're not doing So these are just physical time clocks. They're just around the building.

Yeah. And it also allows you to do you know, a great example is roadways. Right? Those guys are not computers. So when they wanna put it in their, like, time off request, so they wanna check their approvals and things of that nature. It's got a 10 inch touch touchscreen on it. They can walk up. They can they'll build a badge. It'll pull up their information. They can look. Oh, you know what? I need a request you know, next Monday off. They can do it right there on the time clock instead of having to go to, like like, that area has, like, two shared computers. Instead of dealing with the shared computer, they can just pop up the time clock and put in the request.

Alright. Any other questions?

Yeah. Just one. If you do you sign if you clock in on your phone, what if you're not at work? Or how

That's a great question. So, when you go to turn if you go to punch in on your phone, it requests if you have your location services on your phone shut off, it won't allow you to punch in.

Oh, okay.

So if there was ever a question of that, so we were challenging an employee, we don't think you were really here when you punched. We could actually check their GPS coordinates. We we have done that in the past and put things up on that. Okay. We could also we don't do it currently. It has the capability. You can also it's called geo fencing. Mhmm. So you can actually just put a barrier, like

Only clock in within there.

Yeah. If you're you have to be within a 100 feet of City Hall before you can actually punch in at City Hall.

I know I would be running and late. Clocking in. As soon as I park, I'm here. So that's pretty just Waking up our bed.

Hey, man. Hell yeah. He's moving closer to us.

Live within a 100 feet

of the same. Oh my god. Okay. Do we have a motion to approve? So moved.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay. So now we'll move on to ninety six eighty one resolution authorizing execution of an intergovernmental corporation agreement between the city of Joliet and the city park Joliet Park District.

Right. So this is something we've been working on for about six months now with the park district. Credit where credit is due. The police department has been kinda spearheading this. T zone over there has been great. This is to allow us to start putting security cameras up in Park District parks when this started Park had been a problem. The parks park district actually reached out to us requesting any assistance we can provide. You guys have, in the past, heard us talk about, like, what we we refer to them internally as blue light specials, but the they're the big box cameras that have the blinking lights on them. Yeah. You know, high visibility cameras tell you we're monitoring this area.

We wanted to put one of those up in Haggen Park. We needed an IGA. What as we started going down that path for the IGA for Haggen Park, we realized, was this really silly way to do this because another park request is gonna come in. It already took us months to get to this point. So we stepped back and said, let's just do an intergovernmental agreement that allows us at the park district request to put our cameras off anywhere with just a simple request.

And so we don't have to keep on coming back and going through the process, which yeah. As you guys know, I mean, like, this this request started six months ago. Here it is. You know, the problem's been going on for six months. We had a camera sitting there for five of those months ready to go, and we just need paperwork essentially to get the camera up there and make that park safer.

Park district is very excited about this. I believe they're gonna actually be sending a letter to council for the full council approval recommending you know, showing their support in this. But, yeah, I this system really allows us I you know, it would be the cameras would be the city's cameras, and this allows us to put them up on their property and come out of their property and maintain the cameras. There's language in there on how we communicate that, what the requests are, things of that nature. This is all that just like most IHEs, this all went through legal to build out all of this. And their board has already seen this and approved it.

Got it.

So do we choose which parks

they go in, or are they at their request?

Or It would be at their request. I don't think they would from, our dealings with them up to this point, I don't think they'll be if we recommended a camera going in, I think this would also allow us to do that.

Would there need to be approval? But I mean, I

only ask because I know, like, we got, like, over by Highland Park. Obviously, you got a lot of people going to the park there, they're, like, tearing up the parking lights, you know, burning out and whatever in that area. So being there, I would suggest one there. You know? But I know that at Haguey Park, they had some vandalism done, you know, to the water and all that system there. So that'd but, yeah, just curious, like you said, there's a if we see a park as council members getting calls about something that we allow to request one or something there.

Yes. I think we would reach out to the park as for

At the moment.

Just let them know that we can put something out there. Yes.

Is that where they stole the the playground or something like that? Or some pieces from

It was the water the water parks.

Was like

A couple of days ago. Broke into the

plumbing system and some of the copter and the Yeah.

What about the cost of the cameras? Do we have these cameras on?

So, yeah, we we typically so what we call blue light specials are they're they're actually mobile pros. Right? So these cameras are designed to be put up, left up for you know, something like this, we may say, okay. The Heggie Park camera may be wired up for the whole summer. And then we find, you know, Highland Park is not having a problem. Heggie Park is doing great. We haven't had any reports of any issues. We can actually just take that same camera down. It's a fully self contained unit with a a cell card inside of it that reports back and sends that video back to us. We just pick up that whole camera and put it in the next location. So they you know, it's pretty straightforward. We always try to keep a handful of these on.

Okay. We don't need to purchase any new

to do this project? Not for this. We don't need to purchase anything new. Now if it this becomes a bigger thing, we have to make some purchases. These are tend to be pretty reasonably priced under probably about $5,000 per full enclosed camera unit.

It's so worth it.

Yeah. It's it's well worth it. And and they we use these as they are high visibility. They are deterrent.

They're deterrent.

Cameras. You know, we put them up where we want people to see Right. That we're actively watching.

A lake. I don't know. Exactly. What you're talking about. We're not we're not trying to hide them.

No. You're being recorded. You don't tend to leave them there forever. Right? These are, you know, pinpoint point in time type systems. You set them up for a while, and then when the PD feels, okay. This area is clear. We're good here. People have gotten the message. We can move around to somewhere else.

Just one question. If they get broken, stolen, or, spray painted or damaged, is there are the cameras, like, warrantied, or do we just replace them? Or are we have are we budgeted to just

Great people. Yeah.

We will. Never know that people camera. Yeah. Alright. It's a it's

a fair question. Most of the units, we internally in IT, we have a couple like, three of our people are have been trained specially in how to manage these cameras, repair them, and other things. We actually get usually, these systems come in, and we actually build them ourselves. We get all the pieces in, and then we kinda set them up and program them, do everything in house. It cut it cuts our costs way down.

It was way cheaper a few years ago for me to train my guys and send them to formal training, and then the spend savings has compounded quite a bit over the years with all the camera stuff. So to your question, if if just the camera itself is damaged, we would just replace the camera. There are warranties. Like, I mean, you know, most of these things are under a couple year warranty right from the manufacturer. So if it was a defect, for example, if it was, like, rain damaged it or something, it'd be kind of a natural thing. If somebody maliciously damaged it, I I don't think the manufacturer is gonna cover us on that. Yeah. Would really have to Yeah.

It's not for sure.

Right. Good.

Good. Motion to Second.

All in favor? Aye. K. Moving on to 9684. We have a contract for Xerox Business Solutions for three year managed services in the amount of $349,698.23.

Yeah. This one is pretty straightforward. We about five five years ago, we had an agreement with Xerox to do management services. Part of that initial contract was a a three year contract with two optional years to renew. Over the last two years, we've taken those options to renew to counsel, you know, has approved that.

They've been a good business partner for the last five years, but our contract was over. So earlier this year, we went out to bid. They came back as a little bitter. So we were just looking to renew basically, create a new contract with them. Our year one costs are marginally higher, about a little under $9,000 higher because we're gonna replace some current HP equipment that is very well past end of life. I think I've talked about it with you guys in the past. You know, we run printers until they just have no ability to function. Right? We we replace the parts and everything else. We keep these things running for sometimes fifteen plus years before we replace them.

Some of these HP devices are definitely at that stage, so they need to be replaced before before we contract them.

So that'll be the year one?

Yeah. They'll just be year one. But after that, we're just into kind of a a Maintenance. A standard maintenance cycle with them. The way the council on mobile will be written would be to allow us for overages. So in the agreement, you're allowed to print so many pages off of different devices based on usage in the area. Since we have five years of historical data, we know generally what that printer is gonna be doing in a certain area. You know, how much does HR print first? How much does finance print on their individual devices? So that kinda gets built into the contract, and then there's overage costs.

You know, when you're talking black and white, you're talking a fraction of a penny per page. When you get into color, you can be up to, like, a penny a page if you're on a a Xerox machine. We typically don't see a ton of overages, but we always wanna bake that in just in case it comes on.

When we first did the I mean, I actually was still on this committee five years ago. I when we first did this, correct me if I'm wrong, this is when we got rid of everybody's, like, desktop printers and just coordinated into areas and zones, then they swipe their badge and they can only get their printing with their badge. You know? So nothing is just sitting there for all eyes to see.

Yes. All that. That that's really point. You know, over the years, we've continuously, like, kind of improved printing by reducing the number of printers. Most things are now multifunction in shared areas. You know, I always use the IT finance wing vector as an example, like the whole back office area. We have we have one printer for 13. And it is now you know, everything is tap and print now, so we don't have to worry if, you know the and the police department is a great example or an HR. You know, areas where you're printing sensitive information, you actually have to badge at the printer before you do your print job. But that also allows you your printer goes down.

You can literally walk to any printer in the city and badge there, and your print job comes out. You don't have to specify a specific printer any longer. Yeah.

Which is awesome, I

think. Yeah. Efficient.

Very efficient.

Yeah. Eric, question? Okay.

Do you have a motion?

So motion to approve.

Second. All in favor?

Aye. Okay.

Is there any old or new business? Not for final annual. Okay. We don't have any public here, so a motion to adjourn.

Motion to adjourn. So on the second side, you know.

All in favor? Aye.