Charlottesville plans to upgrade its 20-year-old computer system to a unified SAP-based structure, in an effort to streamline processes within the city and make it easier for the public to interact with the city on-line. Within the next year, they intend to offer the sort of web-based services that Boston does, and the plan is to have everything integrated within 2-3 years. CityLinks, as they’re calling the system, will cost $6.6M, and is being paid for entirely out of city coffers. Elizabeth Nelson has the story in today’s Progress.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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eh, people don’t know how to use their computers. They are all morons in cville so again Cville officals what a waste.
Yeah, that is a lot of money. What exactly are they buying? Salary for people to install it? Hardware? Software? How could anything cost that much?
Someone is pocketing 6 million bucks, and not giving us very much for it. You can run a small software company for several years for that kind of money.
good point!
I think what is happening is that the city found some outside firm to install those computers and to maintain it. However this computer is most likely using the cheap throwaway Dells you see on TV. And they charging up the creek for their service which we all know nowadays their support is most likely outsource to Indo-China. So someone got richer with this deal.
Go Cville!
I’m waiting — and hoping — that Waldo will write an undergraduate thesis demonstrating how many millions could be saved with wise choices in municipal outlays for technology, and how these wise choices might make for better democratic governance and reduced costs (and therefore taxes), and use all of this in a juggernaut campaign for Council.
[Sorry, Waldo, I’ve shown my cards.]
Last fall we "had" to buy 3 million in EMC hardware, hardware that won’t work here. So it’s sitting out on the floor plugged in.
I wonder how burned they’ll get on this deal and why they couldn’t have their own IT people create something?