PISMO BEACH CITY COUNCIL STAF REPOR
Agenda Item #12.A
Meetin Date: u ust 18, 2026
TITLE:
Review of Information Technology (IT) Project Updates
RECOMMENDATION:
No action required; information only.
DISCUSSION:
This staff report updates the Council on the status of the new Technology Master Plan, updates on completed or near completed key IT projects, and updates on customer service performance metrics of the City’s IT helpdesk.
Technology Mater Plan
The City Council approved the five-year Technology Master Plan (TMP) in November 2022. The TMP outlines the City’s technology needs through FY 2028 and was developed through a comprehensive planning process led by a consultant, who interviewed staff across departments to identify needs, strategies, goals, and objectives. Staff then prioritized these initiatives based on operational importance and feasibility. The TMP identifies 43 initiatives, each with estimated budgets, and recommends phased implementation and funding over a five-and-a-half-year period from Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 through FY 2028. An update on the progress of FY 2026 TMP projects is provided below, followed by a summary of the projects scheduled and funded for FY 2027.
FY 2026 Projects
Laserfiche Cloud Migration – Laserfiche is the City’s electronic document management system (EDMS) and is the long-term repository of the City’s electronic records. Moving this mission-critical application to the cloud reduces ongoing costs, provides the latest features, and increases the City’s business continuity. As part of the migration, IT staff coordinated the uploading of over 3 terabytes of data to Laserfiche Cloud, 47 workflows, and 29 electronic forms. The Police Department’s portion of the Laserfiche system is still hosted onsite due to California Department of Justice requirements for law enforcement systems. Laserfiche is in the process of obtaining certification of Laserfiche Cloud for law enforcement and IT is planning to move the Police Department’s portion once it is certified. Multi-factor and Single Sign-On (SSO) – Staff expanded the City’s multi-factor and SSO system to the City’s financial management system, Microsoft 365 app (formerly Office), virtual private network (VPN) client, Adobe accounts, and password management application. This reduces the number of passwords that staff need to memorize, ensures the systems comply with the City’s password policy, makes it easier to disable user access, and increases the cybersecurity of these mission critical systems.
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Backup Dispatch capabilities – Staff installed a radio at a City of San Luis Obispo radio site to allow the City to dispatch from the City of San Luis Obispo’s Emergency Communications Center.
Asset Management System – IT worked with the Geographic Information System (GIS) Analyst to integrate the City’s GIS system and the new asset management system. As part of this project, IT worked with the Public Works Department to deploy 19 smartphones and 4 tablets to provide field staff with access to the new asset management system. This will allow field staff to enter their notes and make changes in the field, increasing the efficiency of field staff.
FY 2027 Projects
Electronic Content Management and Record Retention
Disaster Recovery Planning
Cybersecurity Incident Response
City Hall Server Storage Replacement
SCADA Server Redundancy
Radio Site Communication Redundancy
Copier and Printer RFP and Replacement
Security Camera RFP
Corporation Yard Gate Access Control and Security Cameras Migration from pismobeach.org to pismobeach.gov
Highlights of Key IT Projects Completed in FY 2026
The highlights of the key IT projects include projects completed during FY 2026.
Public Safety Facility (PSF)
The IT portion of the PSF included access control (14 video intercoms, 71 keyless doors and 3 keyless gates), security cameras (66 camera views and 2 network video recorders), audio-visual systems (20 TVs, 5 conference rooms, and 1 emergency operations center (EOC)/training room), networking (15 network switches), computers (68 monitors), a new 911 call system, new radio console system, and new dispatch consoles. These systems are designed to improve security, business continuity, and staff efficiency.
o Access Control System – This changes to be made to building security in minutes instead of the days or weeks it would take without an electronically managed system. Keycard access can be easily removed if a keycard is lost or an employee separates from the City. It also provides a full audit trail of who is entering the building and when. The video intercoms allow dispatch staff to visually confirm all requests for access and allow dispatch to remotely control the doors and gates. o Security Cameras – Full outdoor security camera coverage of the PSF and all external entrances is now provided. All internal video needs for interview rooms have been incorporated into the same video management system to ensure all of Council Agenda 8-18-2026 12.A-2
the City’s video data meets retention policies. The additional cameras more than doubled the number of cameras available to the Police Department. o Audio-visual Systems – Three of the five conference rooms are equipped with video and audio-conferencing systems, allowing them to host remote meetings. All five conference rooms are equipped with TVs and computers for presentations.
The EOC/training room is also equipped with a video and audio-conferencing system and TV’s and a computer for presentations. These systems make for more engaging and efficient meetings.
o Networking and Computers – To support all of the technology, staff deployed 15 network switches and advanced networking features that the City had not used before. The design of the network provides as much redundancy and self-healing as possible to ensure the Police Department systems can continue to function through hardware failures and equipment upgrades. This allows IT to apply patches and conduct maintenance more frequently, increasing the City’s cybersecurity.
o New 911 Call System – The City’s new 911 call system will provide the ability to record Police cell phones, auto-transcribe 911 calls, and auto-translate 911 calls.
The ability to record Police cellphones allows staff to answer citizen calls in the field and to stay in the field instead of coming back to the station to get to a recorded line. The auto-transcription provides the dispatcher with a record of the call that they can reference without needing the caller repeat themselves or put the caller on hold while they listen to the instant recording. The translation feature does not replace the City’s translation services. It instead covers the time before those services can be contacted or a backup when those services are not available.
These new abilities increase the City’s customer service capabilities. The system will allow the City to access next generation 911 capabilities as they are deployed by the State of California.
o New Radio Console System – The new radio console system significantly reduces the single points of failure compared to the existing system. This will allow staff to conduct regular maintenance and apply patches without disrupting radio access by dispatch. This increased frequency of maintenance increases the City’s cybersecurity. The new radio console system also allows dispatch to access all of the encrypted radio channels in the county.
Encryption of Police Radio Channels
Staff coordinated with all other law enforcement agencies in the county to encrypt the City’s Police radio channels. This ensures that all law enforcement agencies in the county can continue to monitor the City’s Police radio channels. Encrypting the Police radio channels, protects the personally identifiable information of members of the public who have contact with Police. This decreases the need for Police to talk in code and decreases the chance of miscommunication.
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Email Signatures
In coordination with the City Manager’s Office, staff deployed centralized deployment and management of City staff email signatures. Standardized email signatures are one of the best practices to mitigate phishing attacks. It can also help outside recipients determine if an email appearing to be from the City is legitimate or not.
Centralized management of email signatures also ensures they all follow the City’s style guide.
Additional Security Cameras
Staff deployed security cameras to James Way and Dinosaur Caves Park to improve coverage of the City’s security camera system. These cameras also improve the Police department’s ability to see real time traffic and community status. Over the next year, staff will be re-deploying the security cameras from the temporary Police trailers to the Corporation Yard and other City facilities.
IT Help Desk and Survey Results
Every year, staff sends out a survey to canvas City employees on the effectiveness of the City’s IT helpdesk. Staff Citywide can contact the IT helpdesk via phone, email, webpage form, or in-person. The IT Specialist is primarily responsible for the IT help desk. Channel Islands Technology Integrators’ Group (CITIG) is under contract for after-hours and for tier 3 support. The IT Manager manages the IT Specialist, CITIG contract, and responds to helpdesk issues as needed. The City’s IT Specialist handles over 95% of the IT help desk tickets submitted.
IT received 45 complete survey results. Chart 1 shows that respondents gave the City’s internal IT services an overall satisfaction rate of 96%. Last year the overall satisfaction rate was 100%.
Chart 1. IT Survey Results for 2026 – Overall Satisfaction with Internal IT Services
IT received 23 responses out of 45 responses that indicated they had interacted with staff from CITIG, the City’s contracted IT services provider. Chart 2 shows that respondents 0%
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gave CITIG staff an overall satisfaction rating of 94%. Last year the overall satisfaction rate was 95%.
Chart 2. IT Survey Results for 2026 – Overall Satisfaction with CITIG Services Conclusion and Recommendation
In FY 2027, staff plans to complete the Technology Master Plan (TMP) initiatives scheduled for the year. Staff will also support the planning and design of the Central Coast Blue recycled water project and providing redundant communication links to the City’s radio sites. These efforts will ensure the City continues to leverage available technologies to deliver high-quality customer service, maintain system security, and support business continuity in the event of disruptions.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact from receiving this report as it is information only.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
Prepared by:
Jason Takagi, Information Technology Manager
Submitted by: Nadia Feeser, Administrative Services Director City Manager Approval:
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