Communication, Technology & Information Systems Committee - Regular Meeting

Good morning. Welcome to the June 4 communication technology information systems meeting. We are here in the Council Executive Chain Executive Conference Room. Yes. Roll call. Juan Moreno? Here. Cesar Cardenas is not here. We we heard from him that he wouldn't be attending. And then Sherry Verden, I'm here. Approval of the minutes from our 05/07/2025 meeting. Do I have a motion to approve?

Second. No motion.

I'll second. All in favor? Aye. Next is citizens to be heard on agenda item. Are you here to on an agenda item? Okay. And we have no other citizens to be heard on agenda items. And then our first agenda item, who is who's gonna take it? Okay. So 8662, award of contract to eleven o four

is that how we say it? Lenovo.

Oh, Lenovo. Yeah. That would be because it's spelled that way. Lenovo for 2025 PC lifestyle life cycle program in the amount of $76,372.70.

Okay. So this is essentially our annual replacement program for equipment being desktops, laptops, monitors, things like that. So we have standardized our life cycle program replacement for desktops. We are moving to five years and replacement for laptops and other mobile devices every four years. In previous years, we were doing a three and four year cycle.

However, so many of our applications we've moved to cloud based that we don't need as much computing power. So we were able to extend this out to four years and five years now. We've standardized equipment that we purchase. In in years past, we'd we'd also standardized. We made a couple of changes for this year.

The desktop units that we are purchasing are a Lenovo m 70 q mini. So instead of a nice big tower that you're used to, this is space saver. And so these are used in, like, the customer service windows where equipment doesn't move. We'll use these for shared workstations. There's a lot of those over in the police department where, you know, one individual will come in on Monday and sit at that desk and use that machine. Somebody else will come in on Tuesday and sit at that desk and use that machine. Just that allows us more memory to be able to kind of handle all of the different users.

That makes sense? So the minis are they

have more memory in They do. They're more powerful than the standard laptops. So for our mobile devices which are we have two different kinds of laptops that we use. One is called an X1 and that is for your management. So division heads, deputy directors, directors and department heads, the city manager, they are a little more robust and

They're they're a slimmer profile.

Yeah. I'm sorry.

They're just a slimmer profile device. This this is a nice one here. And there's brought

it here.

Yeah. There's a skinny You must

be important.

Advice. I tried.

So we've got those and we our standard laptop that pretty much everybody else gets is called a t 14. It is not as slim. It's a little bit heavier.

This one?

Yes. Like Jenny's.

It's a workout. Yeah.

New this year in our life cycle program is an x 12 tablet. And so this is a Windows based tablet, and it is for folks who are kinda a little bit more on the move. You know, they're working out in the field. They're for example, I take my laptop home every day, but I'm just kind of bopping around city hall and then I'm home. So these folks are going out to remote sites and in the field so they're much more mobile.

They're about the size of an iPad so they're just a lot more convenient to travel with. So in addition to all of that hardware, we're also replacing our monitors. We're we're upgrading to a 27 inch monitor this year. And we'll also be replacing docks and sound bars and just kind of peripheral items as well. Alright. And what did

you say the the mini? What was the

It is an m 70 q, m seven zero q.

Okay. Alright. Just give that. And for the where you said it used to be we replaced three and four, so I take it the four years was for desktops and the three years for laptops? Yes. Okay. That's correct.

Alright. Yeah. And other

thing is yeah. The other thing that would be The Us moving to a 27 inch monitor will be a process over the next few years. It won't be for everybody. It's but we're getting a lot of requests now for a third monitor. It's not cost effective to go to a third monitor, typically. So giving people slightly larger monitors and then allowing the software. If you've ever done this at home, can do, like, kind of the split screen. And so giving them a single large or two larger monitors as opposed to a third monitor, it cost saves us hundreds of dollars per per configuration and deployment. So that's kinda why we we opted to go that way. And people will still get about the same amount of screen real estate as if they had three monitors.

Mhmm. So it's kinda

yeah. I

would never want three monitors. You know what? The funny thing

wants them.

You also lose your mouse when you start getting that much

screen real estate.

Know what mean? It's just funny. Like, there's all kinds of little, like, weird side effects of having that many monitors. Uh-huh.

I just guess I never saw anybody with three. There there's

a lot you know, the folks that do a lot of data analysis, like our utility, like our billers and people like that. They are looking at a lot of spreadsheets. Yeah. They have multiple applications running, they have to do a lot of comparative analysis between different things. Those are usually the folks that are coming to us asking for a third

monitor. Yeah. So I think it's a good solution. Do you have any other

Pretty straightforward.

Good. Alright. Would you like to make a motion to move this to the full council? Motion. Alright. We have a motion to move 8662 award a contract to Lenovo for 02/2025 pc life cycle program in the amount of $76,372.70 to the full council with our recommendation for approval. All in favor? I I get yeah. I mean, second. I guess I'll have to second. Second. All favor? Aye.

Aye. Okay.

Sorry about that. There's only two of us. Alright. So the next item, 8663, award a contract to video tech for physical access control project at Fire Station 1 in the amount of $34,161.

Yeah. So just a a brief history on where how we got here. So the physical control is our Genetec system. Our that's our kind of internal security system. It does our camera systems and door door swipes. That's when you swipe your badge at the door. That's how you're that's the system that, knows what doors you're allowed to access and which doors you're not. So back in I think it was late twenty twenty, the police departments, they were on a completely different security system than everybody else. Their system completely failed. We were asked to get involved.

We started working with them, and we implemented the Genentech system at that time. Before that, they were using the old school scramble pads. Have you ever seen those? Or it's kind of audio like it's a touch pad number pad. You had to have your own code, and then it would move the numbers around every time you went to use it. Oh. Yeah. It was it was interesting, but they're also easy to defeat.

I could see how that, like you know, because if somebody was ever watching, they could see you going in the same. That's Yes. Interesting. I know they did that.

So, you know, at that time, IT became involved and we took over their access control completely. We implemented the swipe system. It took a it was a it was a long long running project. We replaced everything for all their doors. And then we also implemented just like everything in IT, we use role based security. So if you're a standard officer, you know, you'd have a ability to access most doors in the police department, but not all. So there's, you know, specialized places there like your armory, your

Cleavage level, basically.

Exactly. Okay. Exactly. So we kinda take over all of that for them. They let us know, hey. This person has now moved to the armory. Please give them access to those doors. We update that information. And then we very shortly after that, we started running into the same issue here in city hall. Mhmm.

Our door access control system had come to end of life, so we took that over. And that project took about six months to replace all the doors here. That really led us down the path of wanting to kinda move to a a keyless environment for the whole city. So we've been working with the the fire department because they are also in an unusual situation where they use they use a lot of keys, and then a lot of their main doors, they just simply use a four digit code, kind of like you would think of, like, like, your garage Yeah. At home.

Exactly. And then they have to just verbally just tell each other what the code is. Mhmm. But that becomes problematic when people separate from the organization, and now that code is still in their head. They still have access to the building. So somebody has to remember to occasionally change that code out. Mhmm. So we are, you know, working with fire department. We're going to Fire Station 1 is the first we're doing. We're gonna be doing nine door swipes over there for them, and that includes their big bay doors for, you know, the fire trucks and everything else, which they're particularly excited about because that's always been a little bit problematic for them how it works.

So all of that's gonna be replaced. It's a pretty straightforward project, but we're hoping that would be the this is kind of our now we're in our phase three of the door access. We're hoping the Fire Station 1 will just kinda be the the first of getting all of the fire departments upgraded like this. And then we'll probably be after that, we'll be moving on to, like, MMD and and some of the other remote facilities. We've also we also do these projects when it makes sense for because when we were working on the East Side Treatment Plant, they were they were put on the Genentech system during construction.

So, you know, as we go forward, that's kind of the path we're trying to take is getting us to everybody's on a swipe card. Nobody's using keys to get into buildings. Keys get lost. We don't want, you know, key codes going and running around because those things have to be remembered to be changed manually. This allows us to do quick acts you know, quick removal of people's permissions if needed. It also allows us to move people around. And, you know, it also creates an audit log of anybody who has access to door Mhmm. Which has, you know, been useful in the past. So, anytime you swipe your badge, a record is created of that and it's been helpful.

So in a nutshell, we're just bringing the fire department into the Gen Tech key swipe.

100%. Okay.

Yep. I do have a question. So, for example, do we have generators in case like, for for example, like like, backup generators in case, like, the electricity goes out? Because they're all electrically powered. Right?

Basically. Yes. So all the key facilities so here in City Hall, we we do have a generator Okay. That when power's out here, we keep critical infrastructure in the building. Okay. For example, our server room is on that backup generator. The Planning Conference Room is actually on the backup generator because it's an emergency Mhmm. Center for any kind of issues. So that's on the backup generator and a few other areas throughout the city. Most of the door swipes actually have also have a battery backup in them. Okay. Perfect. So we get I believe it's about twelve hours on that battery, before it would fail. I

think it's that big thing right outside the door, isn't it, by the parking lot? Yeah. The generator?

Yes. And then the the PD actually, I believe they have, like, two generators in the the parking lot right next to the building. Mhmm. Okay. So, yeah, we we do have backup power for that.

Perfect. Alright.

Next oh, we'll have to take a do I have a motion to, move this

forward? Motion.

Okay. Motion to move, item eight six six three, award of contract to video tech for physical access control project at fire station one in the amount of $34,161. I'll second. All in favor?

Aye.

Aye. Alright. Motion to or approved. Okay. So oh, new or old business, not for final action. Does anybody have anything they wanna bring up that's not on the agenda? Mhmm. And then public comment. Public comment, if if this is your time, it's it the same rules apply as it does in council chambers. You have four minutes to do your comment and we're not interactive with it. So okay?

So I was informed that you use I'm sorry.

What's your name?

Dwight Condo. Okay. Ready?

Yep.

I was informed that this would be able to possibly bring to the attention some issues with your reviewers program on the citizen view, on the complaint section, trying to find out who we can talk to about the flaws I see in the system. We put in stuff, and for some unknown reason, the department's closed it out and the stuff ain't fixed. We're sticking it in some Tyler Muken Munis file. We're sticking it in an active property management, and then they close it out. And they say no follow-up.

The previous app you had, when they did that, you could respond back to them. They just shut you right down. Now you gotta put it in every day, gotta put in the same complaint, and nothing is being done on these properties. Is this the right department, or can somebody guide me to the right person to talk to?

Well, again, it's not interactive. But but but no. We're gonna take your we're gonna take your your issues that you have. Is there anything else about it that you want us to look into? And we will look into

confused as to how the system is, and they just close them down and nothing gets fixed. Okay.

Alright. Well

I mean, I got stuff from two years ago, same violation. There's one particular house on Eastern Southeastern that's been going since 2019. They sold the property to new people. They have whole list of stuff they're supposed to do, and it's in the complaints, and nothing is being done.

What's the address?

This one is 205 Southeastern. It's a vacant house. Someone out of Chicago bought it. So

I'm I'm breaking my own rules, but do you have a do you have a phone number you could give me?

Sure. (815) 693-9416. I'm a property owner taxpayer within the community. I don't reside in Joliet, but that shouldn't matter. I'm a daytime resident.

So Alright. Well, we will give this information to the appropriate departments, and, you'll be hearing from that department to to to talk to you about this.

Okay.

Alright?

Okay.

Alright. Thank you. Thank you. Sorry. My thing went down. Alright. We don't have a closed session request. So do we have a motion to adjourn?

So moved.

Second? All in favor?

Aye.