City Council upgraded Wifi equipment, decade old computers for more than $180,000

It’ll be just like Christmas morning at City Council’s offices.

Earlier this month, we told you about how City Council had increased its budget by $500,000 partly for Internet technology upgrades. City Council spokeswoman Jane Roh said that Council has spent more than $180,000 on IT upgrades so far. Here’s the spending breakdown, according to an email from Roh:

Council has purchased a total of 225 desktops and 10 laptops for Members, staff, Research Fellows and interns. Some units will be reserved as replacements in the event of loss or equipment breakdown. The base cost per unit is around $611 but Council also purchased processor and memory upgrades.

Council also has purchased Wifi equipment to the tune of $36,740.

Roh added that Council’s computers are between eight to ten years old and that since Microsoft will no longer support Windows XP in 2014, Council would have had to upgrade its computers by then anyway.

The city’s Chief Innovation Officer Adel Ebeid said it’s not his office’s responsibility to upgrade Council’s IT.

Though the Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) provides City Council with “basic services” like Internet access and connectivity, Ebeid said Council is “not part of our IT portfolio.” He added that his office would be happy to oversee these improvements — perhaps as a new line item on his now more liquid budget.