Travis County Commissioners Court

June 12, 2012 - Item 17
Agenda

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>> Seventeen, consider and take appropriate action on the job description for Travis County Chief Information Officer.

>> Good morning, judge, Commissioners, or good afternoon.

>> Good afternoon.

>> Cyd grimes, purchasing agent.
Normally you would not see a job description under a purchasing item.
However, as you recall last week, we discussed with you the its assessment and the interim cio, and when I got ready to send out the informal request for services and attached the hr job description, we discussed the fact that the court had never taken formal approval on the county executive for it.
And also in looking at it, noticed that it still had records and management and communication resources in there.
So we needed to bring it forward today to discuss that and how you want to handle it and approve it so that we can issue it.
And so diane and todd are here from hr, with -- to answer your questions and for us to discuss this so we can move forward.

>> The issue of records management did surface in this courtroom.

>> November.

>> A few months ago, but I can't recall what we decided.
Can anybody?

>> We have no -- we cannot find any record where it was actually placed under anyone.
The last time I really remember it even being discussed what you a few months ago, but I don't recall the court taking any action.
Do you?

>> The court took no action to place it under any --

>> Correct, they still report directly to the court.
And so this draft was -- this draft for the county executive job description was made over a year ago, and it's never been approved by the court.
Some of the questions were, you know, what were we planning to do.
We had an it subcommittee that was working on that, and in addition the question was where was records management going to go.
So this draft still shows records management as a part of this job description.
Again, it's never been approved.
Again, I think cyd quite rightly said we need a job description to go forward for the interim cio.
Joe has a job description at cio.
We could certainly use that, but I believe the opt thought this job description more reflected what they wanted the scope of this person to do.
And I did mention to them that perhaps since this is interim, we want to go ahead and strike the records management part of the job right now from that job description, and have this person go forward just with the interim on the technology services and not records management, which was my recommendation to them.
But I think they wanted some court direction on that, so....

>> I think that's what's been discussed all along, was that the interim -- we're not getting into reorg here.
We're just putting the interim in place to oversee what's there right now in it and work with the consultant.
So I think that's pretty much --

>> So I can use this job description and just strike that they would be supervising records management and communication resources and then when we come back for the permanent cio --

>> I think we should bring this job description back and have you look at it for --

>> And also the assumption was we would have the benefit of the -- the department -- or the it assessment in order to make a call where records management -- management would most effectively fit.

>> I move that we accept it job description for purposes of the interim cio, and taking out the records management communication resources.

>> Second.

>> Question?
On the job description there is -- there's no pay grade, and we need to have a pay grade on it to --

>> Thises just for the interim.
This is going to go through purchasing.
We don't need to have a pay grade on it until we bring it back for the actual employee.

>> Okay.

>> And I have one other request, not at this time, but when we come back.
I had requested --

>> A motion and a second.
Any discussion?
All in favor.
Show Commissioners Eckhardt, Gomez, yours true voting in favor.

>> Davis abstaining.

>> Mr. Davis abstaining.
See?

>> Some of you recall when the county executives and hr were working on this, I requested that sentence be added to the summary of the job description.
I did not print it out to you, but I would like to still request that the sentence be added to the first paragraph, the last sentence, "works in a centralized procurement organization overseeing and directed by the county purchasing agent." I think that needs to be very clear to the county executives, that although they're executives, they still are working in a centralized procurement function and that is my area, because there's places in here that says that they work in a decentralized organization, which is true, but when it comes to procurement it is centralized.
So I would request, not at this -- not today but when we bring this back that you all reconsider that and all the county exec -- in all the county executives' job descriptions, especially in light of some of the things that have been going on.
I would just like that on the record.

>> Is that an issue to add now?
I mean --

>> I just -- I think we should bring the job description forward if you want to do that.
I will say the job descriptions do say that you want you have to follow county code, state law and everything else, which includes the state law for the purchasing act.
And so I'm not sure that, you know, we have to put in there that and identify every code they must follow, because they must follow all codes and that could get quite tedious if we do that.
I respectfully understand what cyd is requesting.
They are obligated to follow the state law, the united states constitution and every other applicable law already, so I don't think it necessarily needs to be spelled out in there, and I respectfully just --

>> And we do disagree, because it says that they will -- the last sentence now says they work collaboratively with the Travis County executives to achieve goals and objectives.
It says that they negotiate contracts, and it that they work in a decentralized organization, and in light of the issues that I've had, I think it needs to be clear that when we're doing procurement --

>> I'm on the operational planning team but I also supervise the procurement process.
So I just think that needs to be brought up again and discussed.

>> At the appropriate time we will talk about that issue.
Anything else?
I asked the other day -- and I think you all answered -- ms. Perot?
This subject is standing carrying, sitting, reaching, climbing stairs, bending, kneeling, crouching, crawling --

>> As a part of the -- we have not taken that out and that's kind of standard language that we have on all of our office positions.

>> I want to review -- when --

>> [laughter]

>> We can do that.
And we'll look at yours too to make sure it's not on yours too.

>> Equal treatment.

>> [laughter] thank you.

>> [inaudible].

>> [laughter]

>> All right.

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