Beaumont Weighs Technology Needs in Tight Budget Year

Beaumont officials outlined $2.9 million in new IT requests during a July 15 City Council budget work session as the city prepared its Fiscal Year 2027 spending plan.

The proposed spending includes an enterprise resource planning system, replacement of end-of-life Cityworks software and required upgrades and licensing for other IT systems. Not all of the technology requests were included in the preliminary budget projections presented at the meeting.

Budget Officer Amy Schmidt presented the technology requests as the city manages rising operating costs, employee healthcare expenses, contractual wage obligations and other demands that limit flexibility within the general fund.

Beaumont has issued a request for proposals for the enterprise resource planning system. The city has included $726,000 for the project among the supplemental requests identified as necessary because they involve existing approvals, pressing needs or systems at the end of their supported lives.

The city also wants to set aside $767,000 to replace its Cityworks software, which staff said has reached the end of its supported life. Beaumont officials did not describe the replacement product, project scope or procurement schedule during the work session.

Another $257,000 is proposed for required licensing and upgrades involving end-of-life IT systems. The city also listed $34,000 for sex offender registration software that had already received council approval and $36,500 for additional park cameras.

The identified projects are part of 91 supplemental requests submitted by city departments at a total estimated cost of $21 million. The requests include technology, facilities, equipment and operational items. Schmidt said departments were also asked to separately submit their new IT needs, which totaled $2.9 million.

Not all requested technology projects are included in the current FY 2027 projections. A third phase of the city’s park camera program, estimated at $225,000, was among the supplemental requests left out of the projections presented to the council.

The budget discussion also identified technology needs within Beaumont’s water operations.

City officials said Beaumont uses a radio-based system to collect readings from about 42,000 water meters. Some meters do not transmit correctly or are difficult for employees to locate, which can result in estimated bills. The city has identified several high-volume accounts where meters had not been read and estimated usage was generally lower than actual consumption.

Officials said Beaumont reorganized its meter-reading operation by moving field personnel from water customer service to the department responsible for fieldwork. Staff said the change has allowed crews to be allocated differently and has contributed to the discovery of some meter-location and billing problems.

City Manager Christopher Boone said the city could renew an effort to improve its geographic information system data for water meters, valves and utility lines.

Beaumont already uses GIS extensively and has mapped most of its infrastructure, Boone said, but the city did not carry out a previously discussed project to precisely geolocate all meters and valves. Improved mapping could help field employees navigate directly to infrastructure, isolate lines during breaks and update work orders when crews find assets in locations that differ from city records.

Boone said the project would probably involve hiring outside assistance to geolocate meters and valves. A council member said the work could be expensive but argued that recovered revenue and operational improvements could eventually provide a return on the investment.

The city did not provide a cost estimate, procurement method or schedule for the proposed mapping work during the meeting.

The technology requests are being considered as Beaumont works to reduce spending and preserve its general fund balance. Options discussed during the work session included a hiring freeze for positions outside public safety, limits on nonessential travel and equipment purchases and reviews of contracts and city services.

The city manager is scheduled to present the proposed budget to the council Aug. 18. The budget calendar calls for a public hearing and consideration of the budget ordinance Sept. 8, followed by consideration of the property tax rate Sept. 22. The fiscal year begins Oct. 1.