RockNet: Budget Presentation 2000

City Budget Request Letter 2000

May 8, 2000

City of Rockville Mayor and Council
111 Maryland Ave
Rockville, MD 20850

Dear Mayor and Council,

The Rockville Community Network (RockNet) has continued to provide service to the citizens of Rockville and the City government. We thank the City for their support in FY2000, and we would like the City to continue their support for RockNet in FY2001.

Our requests are modest, and are essentially a continuation of the current relation. We do not have other funding sources, at this time, but we are considering fund raising activities.

Formally, Rockville Community Network, RockNet, would like to request the following from the City of Rockville during FY2001.

We would like the City to continue to provide labor for RockNet through the sharing of a full time web administrator and web server support. We have tasks for a web administrator and support personnel, which will currently take about ten hours a week. RockNet is a volunteer non-profit organization with most members having full time jobs elsewhere. The daytime efforts of a web administrator and system support are critical to the continuity of RockNet activities.
We would like the City to fund up to $5000 worth of improvements to our web server. There is security software we must buy and application software that we are considering for the server. RockNet and the City will participate in the selection and use of this software. The City and RockNet currently have a joint-shared computer system, and these improvements will directly benefit the City's systems. Recent attacks on Internet web sites have brought focus on our needs for security software.
We would like the City to improve our current Internet service provider and implement improvements as soon as possible. The City and RockNet jointly use the current Internet connection. We would like that relation to continue, but the public will be better served and more likely use our web sites with improved performance.
To insure that all appropriate measures have been taken, it would be prudent to employ the service of a security expert to evaluate and improve the security of our computer systems. We believe the City should do the same with their systems, and we would like their effort to include the RockNet systems.

To justify these requests, RockNet provides the following services to the citizens of Rockville and the City.

RockNet owns and operates a web server that is focused on the needs and interests of the citizens of Rockville. We host web pages for Rockville community and citizen groups. We provide a collection of centralized links to Rockville business and services. We permit qualified citizens to maintain the web pages for their organizations.
RockNet currently hosts the City's web site on our web server. When the City moves off to their own server, RockNet will provide backup support to the City's web site.
RockNet provides expert support and help to the City's departments. We participate in reviewing candidates for City technology positions. We advise the City on emerging technologies and help with their implementation.
RockNet is part of the City's focus on technology. We work with the Technology Action Team, and other City sponsored organizations to bring new technologies to the citizens of Rockville.

Thank you again for your support in FY2000. We welcome all that want to participate in Rockville's future through the building of the Rockville Community Network.

Respectfully submitted,

Robert W. Ekman
President, Rockville Community Network
phone: 301-340-9696
e-mail: bob.ekman@att.net

Return to RockNet Presentations
Return to About RockNet
Return to RockNet Home Page