Town of Brewster, Massachusetts

Information Technology

Section II - General Government: 1551 Information Technology

Mission Statement

The Information Technology Department selects, implements, maintains, and supports the information technology used to meet the needs of Town departments, Brewster residents, and visitors. The Department provides training for uses, maintains cybersecurity, and advocates for solutions that improve government productivity and provide efficient services to the public.

Accomplishments for FY2022

  • Completed implementation of Office 365 for email and office applications through CARES Act funding. This will provide additional security and a more resilient platform for email and assure that our Office applications will always be up to date.
  • Through a Commonwealth Compact grant, completed extension of network extension from DPW Offices to Recycling Building and Gatehouse.
  • Upgraded standalone point of sale system to fully networked POS system.
  • Stickerless permitting equipment is installed and waiting on a final software upgrade to go live in 1Q22.

Goals & Initiatives for FY2023

  • Complete online permit migration and launch full public portal.
  • Extend Office 365 to include online storage of files in Sharepoint.
  • Begin migration of phone systems from in-house copper-served PBX Servers to fully online VOIP services through Microsoft Teams.
  • Migrate Laserfiche from on premises server to cloud version for greater ysecurity and extended capabilities.
  • Upgrade Police Department servers and infrastructure.

Budget Highlights

  • The budget represents a $71,571 (21.09%) increase over the FY22 budget.
  • An increase of $19,530 is provided for Barracuda backup for Office365.
  • An increase of $33,000 is provided for OpenGov budget software.
  • An increase of $2,500 is provided for online transfer station sticker tracking.
  • An increase of $2,425 is provided for civil enginerring CAD software for DPW.
  • An increase of $3,329 is provided for increased licensing or support costs for existing applications due to increased usage as price increases.
  • Harper's Payroll expense, Professional Services line item, $20,000 has been moved to the Treasurer-Collector Budget as they manage the payroll expenses.
  • The increase in personnel services is due to contractual obligations and the implementation of the Compensation and Class study.
  • Click here to see BUDGET INCREASE RATIONALE FORMS.

Supplemental Information

Click here for SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET AND DEPARTMENT INFORMATION.