Municipal governments, though somewhat structurally similar across the state in a broad sense, are required to meet specific needs of their community. City operations are tailored to fit local citizen requirements, and yet they must join and adapt with other county, state and sometimes, federal government processes. Because of this required specialization, employees at the City of Lakewood must work within the scope of local government operations.

Our Information Technology Department boasts quite a variety of knowledge in specific technological subjects. However, it goes without saying, IT personnel have proven to be very flexible and eager to train in new fields in order to stay with the trends as technology moves forward in leaps and bounds. Our technology employees support programs, security and maintenance services that directly relate to the City’s day-to-day operation. However, beyond everyday maintenance, staff work to promote new innovative ways to make out-dated, even obsolete operations, more productive and efficient. For instance, this is demonstrated when decisions are made to replace an unsupported program with either a vendor program or a program built in-house. A return on the department’s investment means time and money-saving options are investigated and scrutinized thoroughly before any plan of operation is set in motion.

Management - Planning Beyond Today

Budgets and projects are deliberated several years ahead. Projections and predicting future needs of the City is part of Information Technology’s planning process. Some of the business systems running at the City may require multi-year diagnostics and implementation, whereas, smaller projects may take as little as a week or two.

Management of employee time and resources, such as equipment and training essentials, is part of the project plan cycle. The Department Director and Division Managers review all aspects of the department, prepare a budget and work schedule for upcoming projects. Scrutinizing necessary purchases for hardware and software maintenance are a big part of the overall scheme of running an efficient and fiscally conscious technology department. Team meetings and maintaining open communications with personnel are a top priority in our department.

Technology Personnel

Employees, working under the team structure, include database administrators, administrative support, programmers, network administrators and many other specialized positions. Teams, through project management and constant interaction, work with other team members and not solo since most technology projects require input from both network and software entities. Many of the specialists working in Lakewood’s IT Department are also knowledgeable in other fields, which makes them a great asset for crossing coverage when multiple projects are underway.

With a staff of 20 full-time employees, the City’s Information Technology Department has well over 135 years of IT experience. At times, the department may contract with vendors to get detailed expertise on a particular project. Working with vendors also hones the skills of IT personnel.

The department also utilizes the intern program, and some of the interns have permanently joined the staff in a full-time capacity when positions become available. Many of the employees in IT have been with the department since its conception as it’s own City department in 1999.

Information updated December 2006