Describe some of the projects under way in Harris County.
We've been working with Microsoft on putting their Stimulus 360 product into production for stimulus tracking. We are very heavily into CRM [customer relationship management]. We also have a records/document management effort that is probably going to change all of our rules and procedures down the road and make everything more efficient.
So the economic climate hasn't stopped county technology initiatives?
What impact will federal stimulus money have on Harris County?
Where I see it having long-term benefit has to do with infrastructure, either electronic or physical. Think about if we could make roads smarter. And our mobility a whole lot better, and look at how to integrate local transit. That impacts both cities and counties. Then start taking a look at helping the hospital district with telemedicine and telehealth programs that reduce transportation requirements or eliminate clerical functions. It's the same with education. There are a lot of different areas on stimulus in the local level that we can put into play and have operational within two years.
What's involved in using that money?
A lot of the mechanism is still coming out. Most of the stimulus grants have multiple buckets of money. Realistically if you're not in the first wave, you need to learn and get in the second wave. The other impact is you must have projects substantially completed in a two-year time frame after the grant award. You can't just sit on the money, so your planning has to be a lot more comprehensive up front. Your financials also have to be a lot more comprehensive to meet the reporting requirements. So there's going to be a lot more effort aside from just figuring out what you're going to apply for.