This SHOULD be the beginning of a thorough review of the Information Technology spending during the Benest-Yates years. Wait until the Auditor opens the Pandora's Box of the SAP money pit.

Yes, Oldtimer, the auditor SHOULd investigate the SAP / IT contract --- and were there bonuses to employees for choosing that company which has been sued before for performance. Used to be a history of that on Google. Some managers have been vocal about its inefficiencies and downfalls and problems. SAP is a German company, and its chief rival is or was Oracle just down the road. It is known to charge big $$$ for a contract and big $$$ to fix problems later. Check it out on Google.

What a waste of time. How much did the auditor charge for her report?

Doesn't everybody have a cell phone? So why is this happening?

Seems to me that the major complaint here is poor management of the phone contract. The cost of employee phone calls is extremely trivial in comparison.

Brought to you by the same folks who didn't pay attention to travel spending in the Children's Theatre debacle. Who cares? It's only taxpayer money.

"This was due to staff reductions, including a frozen IT Manager position, and oversight responsibilities were not reassigned," Perez wrote.

Pretty feeble excuse. Would your manager buy it?

This is a legacy of June Fleming and Frank Benest. Now we have a "take charge" City Manager perhaps all this greed and overspending will end.

It is very hard to vote in favor of a Business Tax to increase the City's revenue stream, when the City's Managers continue to disregard such money wasting.

When you walk through a pasture with your eyes on the stars, you are going to have dirty shoes.
Our council for years has confused election with coronation, and has proceeded to seek a separate foreign policy and to make better people of the residents. Incompetent, often absentee management is heaped with largess while fundamental needs of the city are neglected or actually shunned and the front line workers try valiantly to do a job with little support or guidance.
To repeat an old refrain, hand back the charter and reconstitute as a Municipal Service District with specifically delineated authority and obligations. Giving Palo Altans a Chartered City is like giving a drunk teenager keys to the family car. J'acuse! [Or is it Jacuzie?]

Bob Moss, are you out there?

If ever there was Palo Alto government situation just crying out for your exhaustive investigative abilities and dogged determination, the ongoing situation in PA's computer department is it.

The telephones are just the tip of the iceberg, and once you research, you will find that there has been a 7-figure CIP on the books for years and years to replace the 1970's phone system.... But never any action.

Old Timer and Kate 100% on target about SAP, and it all could be gleaned by a through analysis of City contracts.

Bob, you did a wonderful job exposing the financial truth behind the City's failed website.

Hope you are up to this one. In these economically troubled times fiscal scrutiny should be the number 1 priority in Palo Alto.

Walter,
Much has been said and written about the city council, but you say it best: "Our council for years has confused election with coronation..."

Thanks for summarizing the problem so perfectly.

What's next charging City Employees for using toilet paper, come on guys this is nonsence!

At this point perhaps the employees should form a corporation and bid running the city to a fixed specification. Let the Council foot the bill for blue sky with their own money.

200 extensions that were not in use? Rates that are 'far higher' than other cities in this area?

It seems like every time someone does an audit in Palo Alto significant areas of waste are discovered. Here we are with one of the highest city budget levels per capita in this area, and currently a deficit.

We have a management problem, big time.

Mike is right on the source of the problem: "We have a management problem, big time."

Oldtimer and Kate: to investigate SAP is to look into another outcome of inept and poor management. Whatever the outcome of the [SAP] investigation is, Mr. Perez will come up with another feeble excuse, don't you think?

Mr Perez is the hand picked succesor of Mr Yeats.