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2474 c4emada <br />515 Little Canada Road, Little Canada, MN 55117-1600 <br />(651) 484 -2177 / FAX (651) 484 -4538 <br />TO: Mayor & Council Members <br />FROM: EIizabeth Mursko, Assistant to City Administrator <br />Greg Schroeder, Director Public Works <br />Julie Manville -Camp, Accountant <br />DATE: March 10, 1999 <br />RE: The Y2K Issue & Resolution Appointing Y2K Coordinator <br />MAYOR <br />Michael 1. Fahey <br />COUNCIL <br />Beverly Srabe <br />Jim LaVaile <br />Steve Morel= <br />Bob Pedersen <br />ADMINISTRATOR <br />Joel R Hanson <br />This memo discusses the "Year 2000" (Y2K) issue and the implementation of the City's <br />Y2K action plan. The "Year 2000 problem" (Y2K) is a programming flaw that may cause <br />some date - sensitive computer systems to malfunction at the tum of the century. The <br />majority of the Y2K problems stem from systems and equipment originally programmed <br />to read and calculate the year as a two -digit number. When automated applications <br />were first developed, memory and storage were very costly. Computer programmers <br />used this two -digit date system to conserve space, thereby making their products more <br />affordable. Unfortunately, with two -digit dates, computers and microchips cannot <br />distinguish between centuries. The result is computers can not read reliably and <br />determine that "00" is a short-hand abbreviation for "2000" and is really one year greater <br />than "99 ". <br />The following types of equipment and processes are vulnerable to Y2K issues. <br />Firmware — equipment or systems that rely on "embedded chips" to <br />operate. <br />Hardware — machines, such as personal computers or computer <br />mainframes. <br />Software — applications on hardware, such as operating systems and <br />word processing, database or spreadsheet programs. <br />Contracted Services — services provided by outside entities. <br />Interfaces — electronic transfers of information between the city's <br />computer systems and other entities. <br />The problem that the Y2K issues present can be resolved through identification of <br />problem areas and the implementation of contingency plans before any serious <br />consequences are felt in our City and community. <br />Page 21 <br />