A separate Information Technology Division was created in Fiscal Year 2004 to address the need identified by the Town’s Information Technology Advisory Committee, for a dedicated technology management team for the Town. On September 29th of 2003 I was honored to begin working as the Information Technology Manager for the Town of Belmont.
The responsibilities of the division include: specification and acquisition of hardware and software, installation and troubleshooting, user education, applications projects, and strategic planning. The overriding mandate of the department is to recommend, implement, and maintain the technology used by the staff members of the Town of Belmont to conduct the business of the Town of Belmont, thereby serving the citizens of the Town of Belmont as efficiently and effectively as possible.
The technology currently in use in the Town is, by no means, state-of-the-art — nor does it have to be. What is necessary is a strong infrastructure and platform on which to achieve efficiencies in providing services to the citizens of Belmont. The effective use of technologies that are already in place can be addressed through business analysis, standardization of departmental equipment, and user education. Furthermore, as business systems reach the end of their useful life and decisions are made regarding upgrade or replacement, it is important to consider the impact on the Town departments as a whole.
There are many ways that the existing technology infrastructure can be used to enhance the way business is conducted by the Town staff. As this division evolves, the division will seek to make the best possible use of its resources, both in terms of technological and human resources, and plan appropriately and judiciously for the future.
The goal of this department is to assess all information related systems, work in conjunction with all Town departments, and find ways to use existing systems to their fullest, while insuring that future technology purchases are made, to the extent possible, with efficiency and effectiveness as key considerations, in order to increase operational efficiency.
When information systems are deployed with careful and thoughtful analysis, the data integration inherent in such a system can enable the Town to provide for the effective communication of information among the citizens as well as the Town departments.
I am very excited about the enhancements to the Town’s use of information that can be achieved through the work of this division. I am pleased to have an extremely capable and competent individual, Dave Petto, the Town’s Information Technology Specialist, to work with and I look forward to a long and productive relationship with the Town of Belmont.
Respectfully submitted,
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