by Dennis Dalman
The city of Sartell has been contracting for information-technology expertise from the Sartell-St. Stephen school district to the tune of $1,250 per month.
The contract is more than paying for itself, according to information provided to the City Council from city staff. The cost savings come from a wide variety of services – a huge gamut that ranges from recommending (and adopting) copier contract changes to eliminating most outside vendor expenses.
The contract, which was signed June 1, 2019, involves a close networking between the city and school district so that services can be dovetailed and streamlined without redundancies or an over-reliance on outside-the-city consultants and vendors. It is, in fact, a form of partnership between the city and school district. At the time the contract was signed, the City Council requested an update after six months — thus, the report delivered to the council recently. After receiving the report, the council recommended the contract continue.
In 2019, there were four major areas scrutinized thanks to the IT contract with the school district.
One: A review was conducted of the Public Safety Facilities building and its audio-visual needs. That building will become the new home for the city’s police and fire departments by mid-2020.
Two: A review was completed regarding the city’s high-speed fiber infrastructure options – with costs and benefits for each option.
Three: A review of possible transitions of the city’s outside-consultant services to school staff or a combination of those consultants and school staff.
Four: A determination of when to use outside consultants for city needs and then obtain agreements for reimbursements before using those outside consultants.
Currently, among the partnership’s many plans, is one for a three-year technology planning program. It is expected to facilitate the purchase of needed items and services, provide training and other forms of support. Another plan involves documentation that will examine all data bases used by the city and designate an employee who will be responsible for each data system.
