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- Management

No, it isn’t San Francisco after the big one -- it’s a wing on the back of the Terrace Public Works
building on Graham Ave. that collapsed last week. A brief investigation brought an engineer to the
_ conclusion that the failure of substandard roof trusses is a probable cause. For story, turn to page A2.

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1990
Vol. 6, Issue No. 9 |

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Phone 635-7840
Fax 635-7269 u

Two recommenda-

Information Sub-Committee of the
M Staff Committec
raised. a barrage of criticism at
Monday night's council meeting,
but in the end the recommenda-
tions were adopted quictly and
unanimously. The report
described two proposals by direc-
tor of engineering Stew Chris-
iensen for improving the city’s
computer system and then recom-
mended that council earmark
between $6,000 and $8,000 from
their contingency fund to review
the computer input process and

data base, and then recommended

that another commitice be struck to
conduct a survey of similar com-
puter systems in other cities.

Alderman Danny Sheridan said

immediately that the recommenda-
tions "upset" him because the city
had already paid several thousand
dollars to Sierra Consultants to

City continues effort to |
exterminate computer bugs —

‘TERRACE-~
tiofis from the city’s Financial

have their computer woes cured.
He said council was supposed to

be reviewing the consultants report

and following their recommendat-
ions. Council approved a $5,000
expenditure a little over a year ago
io have Sierra Consultants analyze

their system in order to "fine tune”

it.

Administrator
countered, though, that part of the
consultants’ recommendations

called for a check on existing data

already in the system and that’s
what the committee was proposing.
"There seems to be quite a few
kinks init," he explained, =
He said that it was by reviewing
existing data that they discovered
they had been charging sewer and
water taxes by folio rather than lot
number and that one check alone
was going to add about $30,000 a
year.to the city’s income. And it’s
possible, he concluded, that other
discrepancies could cxist as well.

Bob  Hallsor

Hallsor explained that the money
the sub-committee recommended
setting aside for the data check
was not for another consulting firm
but for temporary secretarial staff
to fill in for regular staff members
who would have to manually

‘check existing data. He said the

work would. take about three

months.

At this point, alderman Dave
Hull entered the discussion. "I
think the city’s computer system is
out of control,” he said. "I think

we're frittering away our money.
- We need a firm grip on reality... a

grip on the system." Hull also
complained about the apparent
problem of committees within
committees, suggesting it
resembles a never-ending circle.
Alderman Bob Cooper pointed
out that there is nothing wrong
with the computer system itself.
"You get out what you put in,” he

Continued on page A2

"Radioactive waste? Anywhere but here - page A4_

[Boardgets | |

funding block,
confusion begins ©

TERRACE-- The offices of School District 88 on Kenney St. “
resounded yesterday with the echo of crunching numbers as the
financial staff attempted to make sense of the block funding
information received from the Ministry of Education at the a
beginning of the week. | ‘rs
Secretary-Treasurer Barry Piersdorff sald they have the total ™
block amount, but he hasn’t yet determined how it compares to
last year’s funding level from the ministry. "They’ve put things
in that weren’t there last year, and taken others out," he said.
The time limit for the district to have its 1990-91 budget put
together has been extended, Piersdorff said, The preliminary
budget now has to be filed with the ministry March 30 instead
of March 15, and the final budget has to be ratified by the .
board no later than May 4 rather than April 15. Piersdorff ag
noted that the space for the local funding referendum date was ie
left blank, "It reads April__*," he said. ne
"One thing I can say is that our total block amount is up,
which is more than some districts can say," he added.
Plersdorff said he expects to have the information analyzed
sometime this afternoon.

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