S.M. Rent Board Buys Computer
The Santa Monica Rent Control Board has voted to purchase a computer system that officials say will immediately reduce the agency’s usage of the city’s computer. The system also is expected to reduce the agency’s long-term computer costs.
The board is buying the system under a lease-purchase arrangement that will cost about $155,000 for the first five years, according to B. J. Mitchell, manager of information systems for the agency. Maintenance and upgrading will run about about $34,000 a year thereafter.
The five board members are expected to decide later this month whether to buy themselves portable terminals to communicate with the staff, Mitchell said. Individual terminals would cost a total of about $12,000 more, she said.
Mitchell predicted that more staff will be needed to program the system, so the agency would probably not begin saving money until after the first five years.
City Manager John Jalili said he asked the agency to purchase a computer because the city’s system is overloaded.
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