Recently, there was yet another big charge ($18,285 – page 45) for “replacement PCs.” I have been reading the City monthly billing for many years now, and it sure seemed like I saw “replacement PCs” not too long ago. It seems to pop up an awful lot, actually.
So I did a records request. I added it all up – and it was around $95,000.
Here is one of the three documents produced…
As a reminder, the City employs about 120 people, if I’m not mistaken. Not all of them need a computer. Not the guy who mows the lawns at the park or the guys turning wrenches out in the field at the pool or the power lines. Yeah, there’s probably a few at the library for the bums to use. But that still seems very high.
How many desk jockeys are there at City Hall? I’d ask the City secretary but I’d have to wait 10 business days. I’d guess maybe 50. Throw in the golf course and dog pound, and that accounts for a few more computers.
But seriously – a good computer can be had for $400 quite easily. Theoretically LESS when you are making bulk purchases using Finley’s magic “buy board” bullshit, no??
They should last at LEAST 6 years. The one I’m typing on now is six years old and perfectly fine.
(A “Consumer Behavior Survey” published by the Cabinet Office in June 2023 revealed that the average usage period for PCs is 7.7 years, with 56.7% of users replacing their PCs due to “hardware failure.”)
I’ll be conservative and say $500 per computer. So we’re talking nearly 200 computers in the last 4 years! I’m not even including all the expensive “Toughbooks” the cops have to buy – this is just “replacement PCs” as listed on the billing orders.
Seems like an awful lot!
Oh, and right before that, they spent $11,000 in 2019 (22 computers) and ANOTHER $11,000 in 2020 (22 computers).
Are people spilling coffee on these things every year? Are they walking off with them when they retire? Does the bloated IT Department have a “use it or lose it” budget so they keep buying computers when they don’t need them?
All good questions.