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3| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,A ugust 2,2018 theifp.ca The town of Halton Hills has been welching on In- formation technology up- grades for decades and a new report to council sug- gests the town needs to make some steep invest- ments to catch up. "In order to be success- ful increased investment is required in people and technology," said Ben Per- ry, of Perry Group Consult- ing, who was commis- sioned by the town to eval- uate the town's IT services. "You can't really serve the customer well unless you digitize services." The consultant is rec- ommending that the town of Halton Hills invest over $3.9 million in capital fund- ing for the IT department over the next four years, and approximately $1.3 million in operating costs. This includes upgrades to the payroll system, plan- ning department pro- grams, services offered to residents. The plans also recommend hiring six new IT staff members by 2022 and creating leadership roles within the depart- ment. "The IT team was pretty down emotionally," said Perry, explaining that the town is currently under- staffed and IT services are under significant pressure to keep up with the wor- kload. He explained that in terms of paying fees, re- porting downed signs and more can be done online, which will improve the us- er experience for resi- dents. He said that the lag of tech improvements among municipalities is like offer- ing "Blockbuster services to a Netflix audience." Banks he said were ear- ly adopters of digital ser- vices. "The banks aren't doing this out the kindness of their heart, they're doing it because it's cheaper that way," he said. Councillor Bryan Lewis asked if staff should fear for their jobs. "I'm concerned about people," he said, "should staff be concerned?" Perry said that there is no need to be nervous. "Staff that are freed by the automation of work are going to be freed to do more interesting work," he said. Coun. Ann Lawlor voiced concerns about the loss of personal connection with residents, taking aim at Perry's use of the term "clients," when speaking about those who live in Halton Hills. Perry says that he has received similar backlash from councillors when he presented in Vaughn but assured her that the intro- duction of automated ser- vices doesn't mean that the town will cease to host pub- lic open houses and seek ways to connect with resi- dents on a personal level. The report was received for information and be ad- dressed further during budget talks later this year. NEWS CONSULTANTS CALL FOR OVER $5 MILLION IN INVESTMENTS TO HALTON HILLS IT OVER NEXT 4 YEARS ALEXANDRA HECK aheck@metroland.com Ben Perry of Perry Group Consulting says that the town needs to make their services digital in order to improve residents' experiences with the town. Alexandra Heck/Metroland 5 ARMSTRONG AVENUE, UNIT 3, GEORGETOWN 905.877.8023 Propane / Natural Gas BBQ Grills Sales and Service Napoleon Gas Grills are a work of functional art. They have everything you need to have an entire outdoor kitchen experience in one grilling unit. GEORGETOWN GARDEN CENTRE 140 GUELPH ST. 905-877-8882 (The former Georgetown Fruit Market building) CLOSED MONDAYS Corn Tomatoes Peaches Super Sweet Peaches & Cream TOPSOIL Huge Selection of 10" & 12" Baskets 3 fOr $39from HANGING BASKETSLOCAL GROWN $19925L Bag Large Selection Rose of Sharon $1999 Large Size 1 Gal Pot 3 fOr $24 Perennial Plants fOrTHE GArDEN or $8.99 each Gold 2018 Halton Hills Reg. $29.99 .99¢ 4 Pk. SALE SALE Flowering Plants Hydrangea & Hibiscus Lots of Sizes, Varieties & Vibrant Colours!