COSTA MESA : Consultant Hired for Computer Plans

The city will spend $150,000 in consultant fees to determine what kind of computer system it should purchase to lead officials into the 21st Century.

AEF Systems Consulting Inc. of Newport Beach has been hired by the city to draft a master plan that will include all city departments.

“The consultants will determine what systems we need and in what order we need them,” said Vince Whelan, the city’s communications director. “It will be a complete support system for all departments, from the city manager’s office to public services to safety systems. . . . It’s a really big project.”

The City Council hired the consultants at its meeting last week. The sole protest was voiced by Sid Soffer, a Costa Mesa resident who thought the expenditure would be a waste of money.

“I guarantee (the system) will be obsolete by the time you get it in place,” Soffer said during a public hearing, which preceded the council’s vote. He suggested the city call up another city, ask officials what kind of computer system they have, then purchase that one.

Whelan said Soffer’s suggestion to mimic the computer system of another city wouldn’t work because each city has different needs.

The city has also has been trying to get a new computer system in line for the last half-decade.

“I know it seems like a lot,” said Genis before the council’s unanimous vote. “But if we don’t get it in order now, it’s going to cost a whole lot more.”