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Jeffrey Stovall, who served as CIO for Charlotte, N.C., for more than 10 years, will head up Dallas IT operations starting in January. The longtime technologist has said he places a high value on cyber infrastructure.
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What to Know:
- The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is soliciting offers from vendors to provide traffic management software under a new statewide contract.
- The software will need to integrate with TxDOT’s existing technology environment, offer compatibility for data exchange and provide capacity for future expansion.
- TxDOT requires a detailed explanation of all artificial intelligence functionalities to be included or introduced at any point during the accepted contract period.
What to Know:
- In a statement to Industry Insider — Texas, TDLR confirmed Texas Lottery Commission operations and personnel will transition to the agency on Sept. 1.
- Most TLC staff will continue in their roles within the new Lottery and Charitable Bingo division within TDLR.
- Texas Lottery leadership will remain, although TDLR has signaled that it will continue evaluating processes and may implement additional changes following the transition.
What to Know:
- The IT Fund makes up the largest portion of Arlington’s tech spending, totaling $24.3 million.
- Of that amount, $5.5 million is set aside for IT projects.
- The budget includes $3.9 million for the replacement of the Planning and Development Services Department’s permitting platform, known as AMANDA.
The W. Walworth Harrison Public Library will receive a share of $4.1 million for broadband upgrades and digital access improvements.
What to Know:
- The new system has processed 3.1 million payments totaling $614 million since going live on June 12.
- As part of the launch, OAG also introduced two self-service portals aimed at improving user access and communication.
- In 2024, OAG streamlined processes within its Child Support Division with the help of a search tool powered by artificial intelligence.
What to Know:
- The largest share of citywide IT funding is $17 million for licensing, maintenance and support.
- The Police Department expects to use $6 million in capital outlay to upgrade its records system and equip officers with body-worn cameras.
- The city is establishing a new Code Enforcement Department.
What to Know:
- H-GAC seeks a cloud-based, software-as-a-service case management system capable of automating workflows, compliance checks, dashboards and performance tools.
- The council’s objectives include improving collaboration, ensuring consistent outputs and increasing transparency across its monitoring activities.
- The vendor must host the solution on domestic data servers and meet Texas Risk and Authorization Management Program Level 2 certification requirements at contract initiation.
What to Know:
- The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Thursday noted that U.S. energy demand was set to grow by about 4-5 percent in the next two years.
- The EIA expects electricity demand on the ERCOT grid to increase by an average rate of 11 percent between this year and 2026.
- A number of crypto mines have popped up in the last several years, and opponents claim these facilities soak up so much power that it strains the power grid.
What to Know:
- The county's IT Department has requested a $39 million budget for Fiscal Year 2026.
- The preliminary budget for 2026, which is subject to change, only includes $21 million for the department.
- The largest differences between requested funds and granted preliminary funds are related to hardware, software, utilities and software maintenance.
O’Neill assumed the role on Aug. 1 following former Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Stephanie Muth’s departure on July 31.
What to Know:
- The Harris County Department of Education is seeking a broad range of technology goods and services for its cooperative purchasing division, Choice Partners.
- Choice Partners serves more than 2,500 members nationwide.
- The scope of work includes the supply and support of technology hardware, software, asset management services, IT support and leasing options.
What to Know:
- The session includes proposals that would require modernized emergency communications systems, improved data transparency tools and updates to public recordkeeping processes.
- House Bill 2 would establish a Texas Interoperability Council tasked with overseeing a new grant program for emergency communication improvements.
Industry Insider — Texas is pleased to welcome Rocket Software to the Industry Insider family. Rocket Software offers a variety of software solutions spanning IT modernization, AI-driven automation, data integration and secure hybrid cloud to help organizations unlock the full potential of their data, applications and infrastructure. For more information, contact David Grun or visit the Rocket Software website.
The Best of Texas Awards, part of the Texas Digital Government Summit, honor public agencies working to improve the constituent experience.
What to Know:
- A recent Texas Digital Government Summit panel brought public- and private-sector IT leaders together to discuss practical AI.
- Agencies are evaluating AI investments not on novelty but on measurable impacts.
- Panelists stressed the importance of understanding agency missions, building trust and offering solutions that agencies can scale across multiple business units.
What to Know:
- DPS is researching market capabilities around a biometric NFC badge that can authenticate users through fingerprint recognition.
- The agency's existing infrastructure no longer meets updated Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) requirements.
- The agency anticipates use cases for permanent employees and temporary contractors.
What to Know:
- The district’s intention is to contract with a provider that can monitor traditional, digital and social media channels and provide customizable reports.
- The media monitoring system should include features such as keyword tracking, earned media valuation, social media listening and integration with press distribution tools.
- The solution must also support multilingual coverage in English and Spanish and include tools for correlating social and traditional media activity.
What to Know:
- The UT System's Supply Chain Alliance represents 14 individual institutions.
- The preferred platform is a comprehensive, scalable, cloud-hosted payment platform for all 14 institutions.
- The chosen vendor is required to provide the necessary hardware components, implementation support, onboarding, configuration and training.
What to Know:
- TDA CIO Chris Bunton and Dallas College Director of Workforce Development LaKesha Raynor spoke at a panel at the Texas Digital Government Summit in Austin.
- TDA has rolled out several AI-enabled tools, including a chatbot for its Farm Fresh program and a new internal HR bot.
- Dallas College serves more than 130,000 students each year and is expanding sector-based partnerships designed to meet the unique upskilling and reskilling needs of public agencies.
What to Know:
- Texas Department of Public Safety CIO Jessica Ballew spoke at an Industry Insider — Texas member briefing on July 23.
- The agency is moving away from maintaining internal support teams for every system in favor of managed services contracts to free up and refocus DPS staff.
- Ballew is eyeing a new internal automation capability aimed at streamlining administrative workflows and improving customer-facing services.
What to Know:
- The Enhanced Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community Epidemics tracks public health threats across the state.
- The vendor will be required to provide not only software licensing but also installation, updates, defect remediation and enhancements to the existing system.
- The vendor will also help with SQL query support, build analytical cubes for operational efficiency and maintain the system’s API.
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