New Times / News

SLO city allocates $1.15 million for new software

BY ROBERT A. McDONALD

The San Luis Obispo City Council recently allocated $1.15 million to update and replace much of its Information Technology software. The city had little choice but to allot the money because it had to replace much of the work of Bonnie McKee Hoadley, a local IT expert who passed away last year.

McKee installed, programmed, and maintained much of the city’s computer infrastructure for more than 20 years. Her untimely passing left San Luis Obispo and many other cities and businesses in the county with many rudderless programs headed for obsolescence.

The city has received bids to replace the software, with overall costs ranging from a low of $451,000 to a high of $1.8 million. Bill Statler, the city’s finance director, told the council it was wise to budget somewhere in the middle. Once city IT staffers have evaluated the bids, the council will get a chance for a vote to sign off on the final cost of the new software. Most of the money is slated to come out of the city’s general fund, with nearly $300,000 coming out of the Water, Sewer, Transit, and Parking fund.