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The purpose of this Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure is to provide our customers and citizens with information regarding the City of Tampa's activities in preparation for the Year 2000. The statements made in this disclosure are for informational purposes only. Nothing in this Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure should be construed as a representation or warranty by the City of Tampa regarding its Year 2000 activities or that any particular system or operation is "Year 2000 compliant".

Year 2000 (Y2K) Problem

The "Millennium Bug" is a term that relates to the inability of a computer or control system to process date related information correctly beyond 12/31/1999. The problem, which is more typically associated with older systems, is caused primarily by the storage or use of a two-digit year (99) rather than a four-digit year (1999). Date comparisons and calculations that do not accurately process the year can result in a wide range of problems – from a mere inconvenience to total system failure. Our daily reliance on automated systems has caused a global concern regarding the year 2000 (Y2K).

Year 2000 Project Strategy, Issues and Status

The City of Tampa has been working since 1996 to identify and address Y2K issues – with systems that affect the health and safety of Tampa residents having the highest priority. Essential services, including police, fire and emergency response services are being evaluated thoroughly, and systems with identifiable Y2K issues are being replaced, repaired or fixed to operate manually. The City of Tampa has established a Year 2000 Working Group that includes representatives from all City departments. This group is actively working with the City's Chief Administrative Officer to address Year 2000 issues.

1) The City’s general Year 2000 situation.

1. The City staff understands the Year 2000 problem and its impact on our systems.
   1. The Mayor and the City Council are aware of the issues and are committed to dealing with them.
   2. There is a high level of staff effort and management attention to Year 2000 issues.
   3. We recognize this is a business continuation issue, and not just a technical computer problem.
   4. We recognize that there may be significant consequences of not completing required modifications on time.
   5. We are working hard to put the City’s programs in a state of readiness so that there is no interruption in services or operations.
      
2. Year 2000 Planning.
   1. Inventories of critical systems, including hardware, software, networks and other devices have been completed.
   2. We have assessed the risk of failure for each system, and the potential impact if it actually fails.
   3. We have set project priorities based on a risk assessment of probability and impact of failure.
   4. Contingency plans have been prepared for critical systems.
      
3. Year 2000 remediation status.
   1. We are currently in the process of removing defects and testing systems.
   2. Work on mission critical systems has been completed.
   3. We are keeping project teams focused and dedicated to high priority Y2K work.
   4. City staff is confident that service to our citizens will not be substantially impacted by the millennium change.

2) The City operates several significantly different "businesses".

1. Police, fire, medical emergency and E911 services.
   
2. Utility services – water, sewer, and solid waste.
   
3. Land use and building regulatory services.
   
4. Transportation services including street construction, maintenance, traffic control and parking garages.
   
5. Leisure services, including parks, marina, recreation, convention center, and art museum.
   
6. Internal services for finance, purchasing, personnel, facilities and administrative support.

3) City actions to address Year 2000 issues.

1. Police, fire, medical emergency and E911 services.
   1. A year 2000 compliant version of the Police computer aided dispatch (CAD) system is currently operational. A new, year 2000 compliant Police Records application became operational in July, 1999.
   2. The Police mobile data network uses both radio and cellular communications.  The cellular devices (400 units) are year 2000 compliant. The radio devices (120 units), which are not year 2000 compliant, are in the process of being converted to cellular communications.
   3. A year 2000 compliant version of the Fire Rescue computer aided dispatch system (CAD) is currently operational. A year 2000 compliant Fire Records system became operational in June, 1999.
   4. A year 2000 compliant version of the Emergency Medical System (EMS) is currently in use. Emergency medical equipment has been assessed for Year 2000 issues in conjunction with our associated medical advisory services.
   5. The emergency dispatch centers for Fire & Police have electric generators that can supply power in an emergency. As a part of its Year 2000 readiness activities, the City has verified that all generators will function through the Year 2000-century date change, and that we will have sufficient fuel to operate them for an extended period of time.
      
2. Utility services.
   1. Water and Sewer pumping and treatment systems have been reviewed to identify embedded processors and other potential year 2000 compliance issues. This review and testing indicated that significant interruptions of service are unlikely.
   2. The City’s Refuse to Energy system calculates the weight of vehicles entering the McKay Bay refuse facility. Associated fees are determined and billed via the City’s accounting system. All equipment and programs at the McKay Bay site appear to be year 2000 compliant. Year 2000 testing of mainframe processing components has been completed.
   3. A year 2000 compliant Sewer Maintenance System, which schedules preventative maintenance activities, became operational in July, 1999.
   4. The multi service system provides integrated service and billing functions for the City’s approximately 115,000 utility customers (Water, Sewer, and Solid Waste). Year 2000 issues were addressed in the version that became operational in June, 1999.
      
3. Land use and building regulatory services.
   1. The Housing Services System maintains the address related information required to support housing, permitting, inspections, and contractors. Year 2000 issues were addressed in the version that became operational in June, 1999.
   2. The Business Licenses system maintains information related to the licensing of business within the City. Year 2000 modifications are completed and the year 2000 compliant version is operational.
   3. An Inspection Voice System provides the public and contractors with permit inspection information via the telephone. This system has been updated to address year 2000 issues.
      
4. Transportation services.
   1. The Public Works Department has reviewed all traffic control systems. The review and testing, including a year 2000 "roll forward" test, identified no significant year 2000 compliance issues.
   2. The Fleet Maintenance records system was replaced with a year 2000 compliant application in 1998. The City does not anticipate any significant year 2000 issues with the basic operation of vehicles and equipment, or the testing and diagnostic equipment used to repair and maintain them.
   3. The Parking Violations System maintains incident and financial information related to parking citations issued within the City limits. A year 2000 ready version of this application was implemented in the first quarter of 1999.
      
5. Leisure services.
   1. The Tampa Museum of Art installed a year 2000 compliant accounting application in the fourth quarter of 1999.
   2. The Convention Center uses a vendor supplied scheduling software to help staff track various convention functions. A year 2000 compliant version of this software was implemented in the second quarter of 1999.
      
6. Internal services.
   1. The City implemented year 2000 compliant financial software in 1998 to support budgeting, general ledger, purchasing, accounts payable and other accounting functions.
   2. The City’s Payroll/Personnel system is a mainframe-based third party product. A year 2000 compliant release was implemented in September, 1999.
   3. A year 2000 compliant version of the City's Claim Management system was implemented in the fourth quarter of 1999.
   4. A vendor supplied system will replace the City Clerk’s internally developed records management system. This year 2000 compliant application is scheduled for use in the fourth quarter of 1999.
   5. The City has a number of internal systems used by City departments for cash management, billing, accounts receivable, pension, and time and attendance. Year 2000 compliant versions of these applications were moved into operation in December of 1999.
   6. The City has investigated all of its facilities to identify year 2000 implications for microchip-controlled devices. These devices include elevators, HVAC, lighting control systems, generators, security systems, etc.  All year 2000 related requirements have been completed.
   7. The City’s mainframe computer system, operating system, and associated utility software have been upgraded and appear to be year 2000 compliant.
   8. Computers serving different City organizations and locations are linked together in a wide area network. Required year 2000 upgrades have been completed and tested.
   9. Over 350 obsolete PCs were replaced in the fourth quarter of 1999 to preclude Y2K problems.  Approximately 35 pentium class machines required a software upgrade (CMOS/BIOS) to insure normal operations through the millennium change.
   10. With the exception of e-mail, the City’s standard desktop office automation products appear to be year 2000 compliant. E-mail replacement is underway and completion is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 1999.
   11. The communication systems (telephone, data communications, pager and cellular) have been reviewed for year 2000 compliance.  Third party vendors have offered assurances that these systems will operate normally through the millennium change.
   12. Cable Communications systems have been reviewed for year 2000 compliance and the required modifications have been completed.

Tampa Business Partner Readiness

Our key business partners are also addressing this problem. Their plans are documented on their Internet sites. For information related to Tampa’s telephone service and year 2000, link to GTE. For information regarding the year 2000 status of Tampa’s electric infrastructure, link to Tampa Electric. For information on how Tampa’s County government is preparing for year 2000, see Hillsborough County.