3. Employee Computer Purchase ProgramDate: September 22, 2000
To: Mayor Boharski and City Council member
Chris Kukulski, City Manager COMPUter
Tfa a a
From: Amy Robertson, Finance Director A-1 Ming on
RE: Employee computer purchase program The Cheap
(Includes elected officials too) THE MY Of Freramt, C�&
fornk a has Painless way to
The attached clip is from Governing Magazine. Please read first - get Public employees to do
,some homework: It lends
I would like to see the City set up such a program in workers up to $3,000 apiece
interest-fiae money to buy
for our employees. I think it would have value cornputeM softa. , PrnteM
to the city in areas of training and becoming modems and the like for their
computer literate. Computers are being used more personal Use.
and more not just in the office. Police now have The small amount of,
laptops in the cars, water utility operators, wwtp -ft" the city loses on the
operators are all using computers. Many of these foregone Interest and i
people are getting all of the training on the job. I'm adrn� the Program n
more than made is
a perfect example, not having a computer at home, reduction in up in a
Ing costL -U `OmPuter-train-
I've had to learn all of these programs at work. ost o
(When I went to college we used punch cards lng goes on rne when
handed to the computer guy! It wasn't that long ago.) People have time to diddle
around on the -
'r computers
Rer
ys Deputy City Manag-
We would need to set up parameters for the arrangement oug Eads.
em eover
with the employee for payroll deduction A contract would don't mMoissrout
have to be signed. I would propose limiting it to 24 months. Productive work time whon
It would have to be secured so that if the employee quit the trying to master basic ile
com.
P`ter skills on the job.
balance would deducted from the final check. For elected so fir, more than 200 f
officials the term should probably be limited to the months city:Sthe
,&,,.800 police oice Officers
left in office if less than 24. If too many employees want to nhators , clerW work-'
participate we could use seniority or some other method. ers and other employees have
Opted to go high-tech at
home, 711e Program Permits
The computers would be bought by the City using the workers to shop for computers
City's government pricing. With both Dell and Micron, and computer accessories on
the employee could configure exactly what they want their awn Or order the e(",)-
rather than the City buying bulk. We have accounts with ment through th
chasing proces e city s pur-
Dell, Micron and I believe Gateway. We would require s- Either way
there are no debtcollectio_�'
employees to buy similar computers to what they use at Problems: 1,0an ai
work. So s are repel
probably no IMACs or joy sticks. I would propose gh payroll ons.
setting a limit at $3,000, most wouldn't spend that but The e program. only complaint about
some laptops are still pricey. Local purchases could ees Some employ -
also be made by arrangement with City purchase orders. t the lirratations
on what they can buy with
Of course, the government pricing advantage would their interest-fi-ee money. joy -
not be available. The City would use cash set aside in sticks, A'Ortal Kornbat and
replacement funds. Repayments would be used to fund other game -related products
further purchases. are not on the city's menu of
... -heir: S —Ellen Pe,�,
This a nice benefit that I have even seen advertised in . .......... ..
job announcements as a benefit.