Cook County Delays Vote On $36M Contract To Upgrade Court Computers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is sticking with a plan to have a Texas company upgrade outdated court computer systems, despite some questions.
Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston) questioned Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown's report on Tyler Technologies' proposed $36 million contract to update the court system's electronic case management and docket system.
Brown and Suffredin often have been at odds, but Preckwinkle said the upgrade is necessary.
"The mainframe is a very old and costly-to-maintain system, and so our focus has been across the board in trying to move separately elected – as well as the presidents' office – functions off of the mainframe, and this is part of that broader effort," she said.
Simona Rollinson, who heads the county's bureau of technology, agreed.
"The winning proposal is the result of a competitive procurement, with our participation, and I concur in my role as chief information officer," said.
A final vote by the Cook County Board was delayed after the county's Technology and Innovation Committee sent the proposal to the Finance Committee for further debate on April 12.
