ITEM:		CONSENT CALENDAR
5.	CONSIDER EXPENDITURE OF BUDGETED FUNDS TO CONTRACT FOR TEMPORARY DATA MIGRATION HELP IN THE WATER DEMAND DIVISION
Meeting Date:			January 23, 2012	Budgeted:	Yes
From:			David J. Stoldt, General Manager	Program/ Line Item No:	Temporary Personnel
Prepared By:			Cynthia Schmidlin Stephanie Pintar	Cost Estimate:	$18,000
General Counsel Approval: N/A
Committee Recommendation: The Administrative Committee reviewed this item on January 17 and recommended approval.
CEQA Compliance: N/A

SUMMARY: As part of the water demand database project, all documents in the paper files of the Water Demand Division have been scanned and uploaded into the District’s computer system by a temporary worker employed by a local staffing agency. Now, all those documents, and the information contained therein, must be moved into the database itself. This process, known as data migration, is a necessary component of the database project, which has been a significant District investment.  

The Windows-based database contains more than 28,000 individual property files that have multiple associated data and documents compiled by the District.  Data includes information relevant to transfers of title, water fixtures and uses, rebates issued, water credits and permits, rationing, etc.  Data migration from multiple sources to the new database is a critical component of its success. It must be done prior to conducting inspections or issuing Water Permits, and is necessary for enforcement of the District's Rules and Regulations. Data migration requires an average of 45 minutes per file, depending on the extent of information available.  Since March 2011, staff estimates that 2,400 (approximately 8%) files have been migrated into the database using existing staff resources. At the current rate, data migration will take about ten years.

The transfer, or migration, of data requires a unique skill set and familiarity with the District's data.  The temporary worker who moved the paper files to electronic format possesses these skills and experience. Water Demand Division staff must complete data migration themselves on a daily basis, and would review data transfers made by the temporary worker. However the assistance of a temporary worker would allow staff to efficiently conduct their regular daily tasks as well.  To understand the gravity of the situation, the Water Demand Division staff conducts over 35 inspections per week and addresses over 30 walk-ins and 50+ phone calls every day. Many of these contacts trigger data migration. It is estimated that staff spends 45-60 hours per week conducting migration related to these daily contacts. At times, the act of migrating data occurs at the expense of not having time to complete essential follow-up in a timely manner. A temporary worker dedicated to data migration could provide enough relief to allow staff to complete daily follow-up, enforcement, and other necessary tasks. It is envisioned that the temporary worker would focus solely on data migration during the time of his assignment and would not provide any other clerical or office assistance. By adding a person dedicated to data migration, it is estimated that the time needed to complete the migration effort can be reduced by half to five years.

RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the expenditure of funds for a local staffing agency to provide an individual, or successive individuals if necessary, to perform data migration duties in the Water Demand Division for a cost not to exceed $18,000 during the remainder of FY 2011-2012.

IMPACTS TO STAFF/RESOURCES: The cost of a temporary employee at $19.50 per hour for 888 hours would be $17,316. The budgeted amount of $20,000 for temporary help in the Water Demand Division has been spent. However, $23,000 for the WDD Database Project under Project Expenditures remains available, and a budget adjustment of $18,000 will be transferred to the Line Item for Temporary Personnel to cover this expense.

BACKGROUND: For the past two years, the District has had a temporary employee, provided by a local temporary agency, scanning and uploading all documents in the files of the Water Demand Division. This project has been successfully concluded. Those documents and the information contained therein must be moved into the database in a process known as data migration.

EXHIBITS

None

U:\staff\Boardpacket\2012\20120123\ConsentCal\05\item5.docx