City of Greensboro Continues Y2K Compliance Efforts 

Greensboro City officials continue to update computer systems in order to ensure that hardware and software are Y2K compliant by the end of 1999. Y2K, or what is also called "the millenium bug," is a programming flaw that can cause time-sensitive computer systems to malfunction at the turn of the century.

City staff efforts began over nine years ago in 1990, when they began adding the year 2000 in date field definitions for all new and updated databases. In 1996, an inventory of major city software files and programs was carried out to determine the extent of changes needed for Y2K compliance. The City's Computer Application Services personnel then began fixing automated systems in priority order.

Mitchell Johnson, Technology and Facilities Director for the City, explained that many of the needed changes were relatively simple to perform. "Fortunately, our staff develops, writes and provides support for much of our software, so many necessary revisions have been made inhouse. In addition, many of the main systems in our organization are able to operate in a manual mode, so fewer overall corrections were necessary. This has reduced both the time and expense involved in bringing the organization up to Y2K specifications."

Greensboro will also have an independent engineering firm inspect computer equipment at major facilities to verify that systems are compliant.

According to City Manager Ed Kitchen, most City computer systems have now been modified or updated to comply with Y2K. "We anticipate no disruption or changes in the provision of city services. Meeting the needs of our citizens is our number one priority and we are confident that the Y2K changes we've made will allow us to continue meeting those needs."