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WILKES-BARRE — Upgrades to the city’s computer system will cost more than $165,000 with most of it to pay for a consultant, the city administrator said Tuesday at council’s work session.
Aelaric Inc., of Carbondale, has been working for the city since the exit of information technology director Louis Lau, city Administrator Ted Wampole said. The company has been working 25 hours a week at a cost of $80 an hour and it would act as a consultant for one year at a cost of $104,000.
“We’re very, very happy with them,” said Wampole.
The company is local and its fee is much less than what others charge, Wampole added.
The consulting fee would be less than what the city would pay to hire a new IT director in salary and benefits, Wampole said, responding to a question from council chairwoman Beth Gilbert.
The consulting agreement is on the agenda for Thursday night’s public meeting. Council also will be asked to approve the purchase of $61,841 in computer hardware from Lightspeed Technologies to upgrade outdated equipment used by city departments. The hardware will be bought through the state’s COSTARS cooperative purchasing program.
Other items up for approval Thursday:
• An annual insurance package through Joyce Insurance Group of Pittston for $422,690.
• An agreement with PFM Group Consulting LLC to help implement measures outlined in the Early Intervention Program for financially struggling municipalities. PFM will be paid $200,000 under a state grant and a 20 percent match by the city.
• Agreements with PFM Financial Advisors LLC to do an analysis of the value of the city’s sewer conveyance system and parking system for possible sale. PFM would defer payment until the close of a transaction. It would not be paid if no sale took place.
Meanwhile, Butch Frati, the city’s director pf operations, provided an update on the energy savings program put in place by Johnson Controls. In 2013, the city issued more than $6 million in bonds to fund the project designed to repay the cost over 20 years by lowering energy consumption and improving efficiency through the installation of new streetlights among other things.
The city exceeded the savings by $120,000 for year three, Frati said.
“So far, we’re $605,000 above what the guaranteed savings were and basically the number one component for that is the streetlights,” he told council.
