By ANDREA POTEET
Sunday Times Newspapers
WYANDOTTE – A new city department is in the works to oversee online records and bill payments.
The City Council recently approved the formation of an information technology department, a move recommended after an assessment by the Wyandotte Municipal Service Commission and consulting firm Plante & Moran.
The assessment was conducted after the retirement last year of two city employees. Lisa Brendle, superintendent of finance and information systems, and Cheryl Lau, information systems controller, previously had performed IT-related tasks.
The department is to include a director and two support staff members and will set up and maintain several upcoming improvements, like the online payment of city and municipal services bills and online access to city permits and records.
A steering committee, made up of city IT staff and other city departments, also is planned. Director of Finance and Administration Todd Drysdale said the new positions will be funded with money available from the two retirements, and that no new funds should be needed.
The new department will help the city continue to deliver outstanding service to residents, he said.
“The only way to effectively deliver the level of service we’re used to is to find easier ways to do it. Technology is one of those avenues,” Drysdale said. “Having one person who’s dedicated to the task will benefit us all.”
Council members had discussed whether the positions should be contract or salaried. Mayor Joseph Peterson said a decision on that has not yet been reached.
“We want the most qualified company or person,” he said. “We’re open to both ways.”
No timeline has been set for the formation of the department, and officials do not yet know where it will be located.
(Contact Andrea Poteet at [email protected])