By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com
MOUND CITY – On Tuesday, Feb. 18, Linn County Commissioner Alison Hamilton pushed Shaun West, public works administrator to explain apparent shortcomings of the county’s PubWorks software and to explain why Christmas decorations on the Courthouse had not yet been removed.
Hamilton expressed concerns that the PubWorks software program was not being used to the fullest extent. She said she wanted to see on the screen in the commission room how everything was done. She said that Information Technology (IT) Director Chris Martin would be at the meeting next week to help with that demonstration.
“So the PubWorks, I really want to know how it works,” Hamilton said. “I want to see it in here. I want access to it if we can have access to it and I want to know if Chris Martin (county IT director) has got hold of any one with gWorks or PubWorks. Is that doable? Because he was presenting. He’s supposed to be presenting next week on it on the agenda. I want to make sure we are all working on that together.”
“Why would you have access to PubWorks?” Hightower asked Hamilton.
“So there’s a couple different reasons,” she said. “I don’t feel like we are taking care of the citizens when they are putting in multiple requests or work orders or whatever that may be, and I have to go to Joyce and I have to ask her to print things off, and then I have to get with the citizen and figure that out.
“We’ve also asked for an automatic response months ago, over a month ago. We haven’t had that established yet. I’ve asked for Chris to look into gWorks and PubWorks and see what the contract was on that. Haven’t had anybody come back with any information yet.”
Hightower questioned whether it was all three commissioners asked for that as Hamilton said.
Hightower asked Hamilton, “We asked for that? The three of us?”
Hamilton said they had..
While the other commissioners agreed with her on Jan. 21 when Hamilton asked that an automated reply be sent to people when a public works requested is submitted, they did not initiate the process. At that meeting, the other two commissioners listened to and supported Hamilton’s extensive list of demands on website issues and other questions.
“To my understanding, the programs are capable of doing quite a bit, but some of the programs we are not signed up for,” said West.
West said he didn’t know the full capabilities of the program and wasn’t sure if it would cost more to implement those services that Hamilton was requesting.
Commission Chair Jim Johnson asked West if he could look into it and report back to the commission.
West said that he would work with IT over the next week so when they come to the meeting next week they would try to have answers for the commissioners about what is available and what the options are. He said it may require changing some options of the program, the service agreement and what the county pays.
Hamilton then brought up taking down the Christmas lights on the Courthouse again.
“I just don’t know. They’re still up, and I think that we’ve had weather that was decent. I’ve also heard there’s a lot of pushback from certain employees on whose responsibility it was and who isn’t going to do it,” said Hamilton.
West said that he had inquired about how the lights were put up and he learned that an employee had walked out on a ledge to put up one of the angels. West said that action was unsafe and as soon as he can get the bucket truck out to take down the lights, he will.
“What I would like to see is a plan for the county on installation and then also taking it down. Can we put that together?” asked Hamilton.
Hightower suggested presenting that plan before the lights go up next year.
West asked if the commissioners wanted staff to be involved in this plan or did they want to contract it out.
Hamilton said she had contacted Josh Baldwin with Mound City-based Dreamscape Innovations Inc. to get a bid to remove the lights on the Courthouse and the Justice Center.
“I’m sure we’re going to get maybe a little push back on who’s taking down and putting up at the judicial center because of the technology that’s involved with that. However, I do feel like the plan to get it down by Feb. 1 was put in place over a month ago and it’s Feb. 18,” said Hamilton. “Do we need to just make a workday and we can all just go over there and take down the garland?”
West said the maintenance staff was small when it came to bigger projects. He said that a plan did need to be developed, but he wanted to move away from anybody doing aerial stuff that is dangerous that shouldn’t be done.
“What’s the plan for this week then? Just let it be for another week?” asked Hamilton.
Hightower pointed out that county employees were going to be pushing snow this week. Johnson said it was going to be pretty cold this week.
“I understand that, let’s just go with March 1. Can we try that?” asked Hamilton.
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