The City of Las Vegas – IS/IT Planning for Fast-Growing Municipalities

摘要

The City of Las Vegas has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years.rnBetween 1985 and 1995, the city grew from 186,380 to 368,360 residents, anrnincrease of 97.6%. At the same time, nearby Clark County’s population increasedrnfrom half a million to over one million people, an increase of 84.3%. The boom inrnthe City of Las Vegas continues, with the latest population prediction calling for 2rnmillion people by 2005. Compounding the challenge of a fast growing residentrnpopulation, the City is host to over 32 million tourists per year.rnA municipality that grows this quickly experiences intense and dramatic pressurernon its infrastructure. Transportation, public services, and water, electric and gasrnutilities struggle to keep pace with the rapid influx of new residents and visitors.rnThe City of Las Vegas has recognized that it must implement new systems andrnequipment to accommodate for this growth. In the area of wastewater, the City’srnWater Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) decided to evaluate and assess itsrncurrent information technology (IT), information systems (IS), and relatedrnbusiness and support processes. The City conducted a formal assessment ofrncurrent processes and an evaluation of emerging technology trends. Thernresulting IS/IT strategy offered recommendations to address organizational,rnbusiness process, and technological challenges faced by the City at this facility.rnThis paper will provide an in-depth discussion of how other fast-growingrnmunicipalities can successfully and strategically manage IS/IT systems to adaptrnto a rapid rate of growth. Developing a comprehensive IS/IT strategy requiresrncooperation from a variety of independent departments and levels both withinrnand external to an organization. The strategic planning process involvesrnevaluating and assessing the current state of business demands, ITrninfrastructure, IS applications, and staffing to determine issues, opportunities,rnand financial and technical risk. The goal is to determine the capability of thernexisting IS/IT systems, infrastructure, and human resources to meet the needsrnand requirements of a municipality. Based on this assessment and evaluation,rnrecommendations are made to develop a proactive, financially sound strategicrnIS/IT plan that, when implemented, will sustain the continued growth of thernmunicipality. In addition to developing an IS/IT strategic plan, it is also importantrnto conduct workshops or other outreach activities with municipal staff to buildrnunderstanding and acceptance of the plan. This paper will discuss the strategicrnIS/IT planning process that was applied for the City of Las Vegas and thernchallenges involved.