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Pete Anderson -- 2013 GT Top 25 Winner

CIO, Fort Worth, Texas

Pete Anderson got heavily involved in technology during his 25 years as a U.S. Navy officer, including four years as commander of the Defense Logistics Agency Systems Design Center, an organization with an annual budget of more than $130 million and a staff of 1,200 that develops, implements and maintains IT systems for the U.S. Department of Defense.

That was a great warm-up for Anderson’s current job in Fort Worth, Texas, where he leads a handful of major initiatives, including installation of a $52 million digital radio system for public safety. “We have 22 or 23 agencies using our radio system — including city departments, the local transit agency, county sheriffs and a number of other cities and towns around us,” said Anderson, who became city CIO in 2004.

Fort Worth also is overhauling key business applications. A PeopleSoft ERP system replaced legacy payroll software, and next up is an effort to modernize the city’s financial system. Anderson says the changes will let city departments meet demands despite shrinking revenue.

In addition, the city is boosting transparency and citizen engagement by breaking its budget into 20 categories covering topics like public safety and transportation, and asking citizens to help prioritize spending. Anderson said the city created an online tool that outlines the budget requests and how much the budget needs to be reduced to meet expected revenue. Citizens can use the tool to vote on the changes they would make.

The choices, he said, can include questions like, “Do you want to maintain or upgrade the swimming pool, or close it and build a new library?” As residents answer the questions, they get a running balance, and at the end they can say, “I balanced the budget, and here’s what I propose to do.”

Photo by David Kidd.

Return to the 2013 GT Top 25