It may be a moot point since the I/T resolution was put on hold, but I'd like to give you my perspective of how things are going in the City's I/T department.

From the discussion at last Tuesday's Tulsa City Council Urban and Economic Development Committee Meeting I agree with both Councilors Henderson and Westcott, to a point.  Councilor Henderson is correct that the I/T organization is over staffed.  At least it was at the time of the meeting.  We had three I/T directors and the work could be handled by two.  I feel the director of I/T Information Services could handle I/T Administration and Planning because project management is an integral part of implementing systems.  When the groups were formed no doubt Ben Stout had a viable plan in mind.  With last week's resignation of the I/T Information Services Director a re-organization of the groups seems likely.

Councilor Westcott's comment about a 'whisper campaign' to oust I/T upper management is true.  I'm sure the resignation last week of the Information Services Director is being hailed as a victory by the employees behind the campaign.  Ben Stout and the directors have tried to instill employee accountability and attempted to make the City's I/T department more productive by following proven I/T practices.  They've been met a great deal of resistance.  The biggest complaint against upper management seems to be hiring for management positions from the outside, not promoting from within.  I have worked directly with three of the new employees and believe they are all far better qualified to fill their position than anyone I know within the City.

When I first started working at the City I was pleasantly surprised at the number of talented and dedicated I/T employees.  At the same time I was dumbfounded at the number of employees, especially employees with a significant number of years with the City, that barely, or rarely met their job requirements.  In over five years I have yet to see a project completed by its deadline.  I have also yet to see consequences for not meeting a project deadline.  The culture in the I/T department is no reward for exceptional work and no punishment for substandard work.  The dedicated I/T employees are making things happen solely from a sense of duty and satisfaction from a job well done.  At the end of the day everyone gets the same pay raise, no pay raise or same pay cut regardless of their effort.  The list of I/T employees that could be let go without loss of service to customers is long.  Unfortunately if there were layoffs those are the employees that would stay.

I also agreed with Councilor Bynum's comment regarding needing I/T to support innovation.  However, the City has many inefficient business practices that must be addressed before innovation will be anything more than putting duct tape over pot holes.  For instance, the City has an Electronic Content Management system that supports electronic approvals.  Even if we capture documents electronically current practices require departments to print out the documents, obtain 'wet' signatures and then scan them back into electronic form.  Recent attempts to use the system were abandoned due to the requirement to have a piece of paper.  It's difficult to understand why the City would have that kind of requirement when the IRS doesn't.  The City is ripe for innovation.  But, it won't happen until we improve our business processes.

Thank you for your service to District 7 and the City.  Best of luck dealing with this, and the multitude of other issues facing the City.

Councilor John Eagleton received a letter from a constituent and longtime zoo volunteer concerning the Tulsa Zoo in the aftermath of the death of two giraffes and problems with protecting the animals against severely cold temperatures. The letter reads in part:

We have experienced some severe tragedies at our zoo recently and no one is more saddened and affected by these events than the zoo staff, many volunteers, support staff, and Tulsa Zoo Friends staff and membership. However, we are also puzzled and devastated by the attitudes of our city councilors, mayor, and some other city officials. You seem to be in a blaming mode regarding the actions of our zoo staff where, in reality, some of the responsibility lays on the shoulders of the city. The physical modalities of the zoo (barns, exhibit buildings, etc.) require funds for maintaining. The funds required for maintaining are generated by the zoo, but these funds are not totally utilized by the zoo. It is my understanding that they go into the general fund and the zoo receives a specified amount. Buildings and barns and exhibits deteriorate over time and usage and they cost money to repair or replace. Prices for materials and construction go up, but the designated monies do not....

I realize that this is a rather long letter, but would hope that you can see what an asset the Tulsa Zoo is to our city. My plea to you is  that you take a more positive approach to one of the treasures of the City of Tulsa, both in a recreational and educational aspect, and try to improve and enhance it instead of trying to destroy it.

Here is Councilor Eagleton's reply:

Thank you for the letter that I received last week. I want you to know that I do not have a negative attitude toward the zoo. My family and I have spent many enjoyable afternoons at the zoo, and I know what an asset it is for our City.

It is because of my appreciation of the zoo that I am concerned that we as City officials and employees are not being the best possible stewards for our assets. While the loss of the two giraffes, Amali and Amira, might be due to tragic coincidence, I would be remiss in my duties as an elected official if I did not make inquiries into the practices of zoo staff.

If the zoo facilities are in as dire need of repair as you mention in your letter, then I believe that the City Council should try to find some funds to upgrade and repair those facilities as soon as the City is on the other side of our current revenue shortfall.

Thank you for your service to the Tulsa Zoo. I know that volunteers like you help keep our zoo running smoothly.

Updated 2/4/2010: General fund vs. inflation chart changed to use first year of the period rather than the last as baseline year, making the chart easier to understand. Information Technology department added to percentage growth 2002-2010 chart.

City of Tulsa general fund spending outpaced the inflation rate over the seven fiscal years between FY 2004 and FY 2010, according to budget data collected by City Council Policy Administrator Jack Blair at the request of Councilor John Eagleton. (See first graph below.) The climb was especially steep between FY 2004 and FY 2008. (Retail sales tax declines in FY 2009 and FY 2010, the result of the national recession, made it necessary for general fund spending to be cut to match, since general fund spending is wholly dependent on sales tax.)

This growth in spending appears to have been fueled by personnel costs. During the period between FY 2002 and FY 2010, the personal services budget per employee grew by 29.2%, compared to an increase in the cost of living over the same period of only 19.0%. During this period, the police personal services budget per employee grew by 35.1%, approaching twice the rate of inflation. (See second graph below.)

Councilor John Eagleton has frequently and consistently opposed allowing the budget to grow well beyond the rate of inflation. While City Councilors have taken no raise since 2002, most city employees were granted raises that were not sustainable for the city's budget. Those raises are now "baked into the cake," and now that times are not as good, city officials are left with only two options -- pay cuts or layoffs.

Click either image to view a PDF with higher resolution versions of both charts. 

Councilor John Eagleton has expressed his opposition to proposals to solve the City of Tulsa budget crisis by imposing taxes and fees on entertainment-related goods and services. From a January 27, 2010, Tulsa World story:

"If we raise taxes we will drive business and industry away from Tulsa," Councilor John Eagleton said. 

By targeting one particular industry, "we will get less from that industry," he said.