No Dump Trucks Needed, Information Technology Is Expensive…A Quick Meeting For Gwinnett’s Commissioners

Department of Support Services' Steve North tells commissioners Tuesday that spending $1.2 million on trucks isn't necessary at this time.

LAWRENCEVILLE — Gwinnett County’s Board of Commissioners took action on a range of items Tuesday, none of which seemed to interest the general public much or draw any controversy.

With no public comments made, to say it was a quiet day for commissioners in the public eye would be a huge understatement. Both meetings when combined lasted approximately 45 minutes, short by normal standards.  

Work was completed, though, and one highlight included approval on a swath of information technology services, with the county experiencing firsthand how expensive license agreements with software vendors can be. In renewing with technology giants Microsoft and Dell and using the state of Georgia’s negotiated agreement, commissioners approved an expenditure of $551,995.40 for the year. This covers operating systems on desktop computers, database software, exchange e-mail and the office suite of products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc). Commissioners also authorized $174,968 for renewing the Syscon jail management software maintenance agreement, a necessity since the software is used by corrections and sheriff’s personnel to track inmate activity. Director John Matelski of the department of information technology services said while the county couldn’t negotiate a decrease in the price with Syscon, they were able to secure service at the same rate as last year. Finally, the Board also approved an expenditure of $171,662.33 for continued use of FileNet’s enterprise content management system, which departments use to store and retrieve documents, images and media in electronic format.

Lynn Smarr, the acting director of the department of water resources, drew praise from District 3 Commissioner Mike Beaudreau by saving 28 percent on a $678,000 multi-year contract with the Cleveland Electric Company for the installation, inspection and repair of electrical equipment at various water facilities. Smarr said the savings came about as a result of leaving the project open for what she called “an extended bidding period.”

Perhaps the best news, though, came from Steve North of the department of support services. With more than $1.2 million set to be spent on the purchase of dump trucks and class 8 trucks, North said the contracts at this time, “after evaluating needs,” were no longer necessary. He said the need could possibly be revisited later this year or even next year, but that after review the need wasn’t there at this time.

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2. Commissioners Pass Budget While Beaudreau Asks Board To Be More Transparent
3. Drought Over, Gwinnettians Still Saving Water, And The New Water Pricing Begins
4. Gwinnett County To Study Potentially Privatizing Airport’s Briscoe Field
5. Commissioners Ratify Three Bridge Repairs To The Tune Of $1.15 Million