Steve Ortner, the city’s IT director, told Harrisburg City Council on Dec. 8 that the proposed 2026 technology budget is 17.83% lower than the 2025 appropriation, driven by across‑the‑board reductions and the end of several recurring contracts. “The first one is the maintenance services contract account, which decreased by $724,000,” Ortner said, breaking the figure into a $103,000 earlier budget transfer, $535,000 for maintenance not renewed during the year, and about $85,000 in miscellaneous reductions.

Ortner said the software account is down $83,000 and office equipment is down $55,000 because those purchases did not recur in 2026 planning. He listed recent infrastructure work that he said supports remaining operations, including replacement of the data‑center UPS and cabinet, a newly installed network firewall and multifactor authentication rollout for some employees to reduce cyber risk.

The presentation outlined the city’s multi‑phase move away from an aging mainframe. “The tentative timeline is mid‑2027,” Ortner said, describing coordinated phases that include financials (implemented in January 2023), a new human capital system, tax billing and licensing/permits. He added that some legacy systems will still be used briefly after migration to verify data conversions.

Council members pressed for specifics about year‑to‑date spending versus the proposed budget and whether any roles exceeded standard salary increases; Ortner said there are no positions planned to exceed the standard rate and that year‑to‑date spending aligns with the 2026 proposal other than the three accounts he identified. Council requested a follow‑up with the exact dollar figure for money saved compared with 2025 spending; Ortner agreed to provide that detail in writing.

The council did not take a vote on the IT budget during the hearing. The next procedural step is continued budget review and any amendments before the council’s formal adoption process.