DATE: January 28, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Edward Hill, Chief Operating Officer/Interim Director of Internal Services/Chief Information Officer
SUBJECT: Second Hearing to Amend Information Technology, General Services & Purchasing Ordinance
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Conduct the second hearing to amend and adopt the Fresno County Ordinance Code, Title 2 Administration, Chapter 2.09 Information Technology Services Department, add Title 2 Administration, Chapter 2.11 General Services Department, and amend Title 4 Revenue & Finance, Chapter 4.04 Purchasing Procedures and waive the reading of the Ordinance entirely; and
2. Approve and authorize the Chief Operating Officer, or their designee, upon review and approval by County Counsel, to approve and execute amendments to current County agreements, for the purpose of updating references to the Director of Internal Services/Chief Information Officer and contact information for the General Services Department and Information Technology Services Department.
REPORT
Approval of the first recommended action will enable your Board to adopt Chapter 2.09 Information Technology Services Department (Chapter 2.09) and Chapter 4.04 Purchasing Procedures (Chapter 4.04), as amended, and add Chapter 2.11 General Services Department (Chapter 2.11) of the Fresno County Ordinance Code.
Approval of the second recommended action will allow the Chief Operating Officer, or their designee, to update references to the Director of Internal Services/Chief Information Officer in existing County agreements as well as the Department’s contact information, when the agreement does not already provide a mechanism for the Department to do so.
The first hearing was conducted by your Board on January 7, 2025. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the first recommended action is not approved by your Board, the Internal Services Department (ISD) will continue as one department. If the second recommended action is not approved by your Board, the General Services Department and Information Technology Services Department will return to your Board individually with an amendment to each agreement, as appropriate.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated the recommended actions. Sufficient appropriations have been included in the FY 2024-25 Org 8905 and Org 8935 Adopted Budgets. Future budget adjustments, to include adjustments to Internal Service Fund rates, if necessary, will be brought to your Board for consideration and approval.
DISCUSSION:
Secondary to a vacancy in the Director role of ISD, the Chief Operating Officer has been serving in the interim role since May of last year. After thorough research and engagement with our consultants and peer counties, the decision was made to reorganize ISD into two separate departments: a General Services Department and an Information Technology Services Department. This decision stems from several factors: the combination of the two disciplines doesn’t align well, this model is not found in other counties, and recruiting a leader who is a subject matter expert in both fields presents significant challenges.
On January 7, 2025, your Board conducted the first hearing to amend the Fresno County Ordinance Code, Chapter 2.09 and Chapter 4.04, and add Chapter 2.11.
The proposed Ordinance aligns with the planned reorganization of ISD in to two departments, namely, the Information Technology Services Department, which will be reflected in Chapter 2.09 as amended, and the General Services Department, which will be newly adopted Chapter 2.11. Chapter 4.04, entitled “Purchasing Procedures,” is amended only to reference the “General Services Department” in place of the soon to be former “Internal Services Department,” as related to the licensing and leasing of real property by the County.
As of January 6, 2025, ISD has approximately 300 active agreements that will potentially require amendments as a result of the creation of the Information Technology Department and General Services Department. Many agreements will need updated references to each director’s title from “Internal Services Director” to “Information Technology Services Director” or “General Services Director,” respectfully. Furthermore, in cases where the agreement does not include language permitting the Department to update its contact information with the vendor(s) for purposes of official notification, an amendment will be necessary as well. As such, approval of the second recommended action will allow the Chief Operating Officer, or their designee, to execute these amendments with authorization from County Counsel, which will prevent your Board from being inundated with these items.
Summaries of the Ordinance amendments were published in The Business Journal on January 15, 2025.
If adopted by your Board, the proposed Ordinance will take effect on February 27, 2025.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #7, January 7, 2025
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Fresno County Ordinance Code (Chapter 2.09)
Fresno County Ordinance Code (Chapter 2.11)
Fresno County Ordinance Code (Chapter 4.04)
CAO ANALYST:
Amy Ryals