In receiving the report, Mayor Plusquellic said, "We will immediately begin efforts to implement the report, and make city government more modern, more efficient, and more responsive to our citizens through the effective use of technology."

The committee, chaired by Steve Morgan, Vice President of Energy Delivery for FirstEnergy Corp, issued a 31-page comprehensive look at the city’s current technology practices and made recommendations for future planning.

Plusquellic expressed his gratitude to members of the Technology Committee for producing an impressive, comprehensive report. Chairman Steve Morgan said, " The City of Akron can be proud of its accomplishments to date, but the complexity and inter-relatedness of technology suggests that the city must consider a more integrated approach to decision-making in the future."

Among the recommendations of the Committee are:

Appointment of a cabinet-level Chief Technology Officer, who will oversee a unified department of Information and Technology Management, consolidating existing departments in several areas of the city.

Creation of a city of Akron Technology Committee to review and approve the business case for new technology initiatives.

Recognition of the special skills developed by city employees who work in technology within their own departments, and developing opportunities for promotion of technology personnel within the city’s civil service system.

Improvement of training opportunities for all city workers who use technology/information systems.

Development of a project-management system as new technology initiatives are introduced, so that a single manager will have responsibility from inception of a new idea to adoption at the department level.

Standardization of computer applications and hardware, which should result in lower overall costs and improved operations and maintenance of technical/information systems.

Assessment of critical technology systems within the city; adoption of strategies to better secure information systems, particularly those which handle confidential information; elimination of outdated software, and better documentation of existing software.

Creation of the Technology Committee was announced by Plusquellic in his State of the City Address in January, 2002, and is a further outgrowth of the report of Imagine.Akron:2025.

The committee appointed by Plusquellic includes:

• John Conti, Councilman-At-Large, City of Akron
• Dr. Tom Gaylord, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, University of Akron
• Captain James Harris, Akron Police Department
• Stephen Morgan (Chairman), Vice President, FirstEnergy Corp.
• Sharon Rosche, Comptroller, Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce
• Richard Stahl, President/CEO, Info Line, Inc.

Ad Hoc members added by the committee to support its investigation:

• Cathy Watson, Director of Finance, City of Akron
• Diane Miller-Dawson, Deputy Director of Finance, City of Akron
• John Dagilis, VP Administration, Info Line, Inc. (for Mr. Stahl)
• Mike Giannone, Communications Officer, University of Akron (for Dr. Gaylord)

A search for candidates to fill the position of Chief Technology Officer will begin immediately, Plusquellic said. The mayor stated that he has left vacant the position of Public Utilities Commissioner since the June retirement of Vincent Ciraco.

"In today’s de-regulated environment of utilities," the mayor said, "the duties of overseeing utility issues can be handled by our Law Department. In lieu of filling the position of Public Utilities Commissioner, I will ask that the salary be reallocated to a Chief Technology Officer for the City."

The Mayor also announced that the city will employ a Washington D.C. based consulting firm to review Civil Service and help implement the recommendations of the Technology Committee. Winstead Consulting Group will develop an inventory of "best practices" from cities across the country, and conduct an assessment of Akron city government in light of the Technology report. Winstead will interview department managers, representatives of city bargaining groups, and others; and will make recommendations in the first quarter of 2003.

Winstead Consulting Group works with local, state, and federal governments to manage public policy issues. Principals assigned to work on the Akron project include:

Bruce Todd, a CPA, who played a key role in the high-tech resurgence of Austin, Texas while mayor, 1991-1997, and who was appointed by the President to the Federal Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations.

Charles Box, an attorney, who served the city of Rockford, Illinois in a variety of municipal posts before serving as mayor for 12 years.

Gerald Chattman, managing partner of the Cleveland office of Buckingham, Doolittle, and Burroughs and a member of its Employment Law Practice Group. He chairs the Pepper Pike Civil Service Commission as a volunteer member.

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