Don't worry about Fayette County's computers in the

year 2000. Your services and tax bills should continue

uninterrupted, said Jay Wright, director of information services for the county.

"We're pretty much finished with everything," said Wright.

There has been much speculation nationally about

problems that may occur at the turn of the millennium because most

computer systems count years in two-digits. When users start

entering the year as 00, computers will count that as the year 1900.

But while some commentators predict gloom and doom

because of the economy's almost total dependence on computers,

vendors have been quietly rewriting the software, said Wright.

His department recently issued requests for proposals for

companies to replace software for the Sheriff's Department

records management and for the county's 911 dispatch office, Wright said.

"We should have that all resolved by Dec. 1, 1999 with

no problem," he said.

County computer technicians started early getting ready

for Y2K, said Wright. "We started in 1990, gradually taking a

system at a time and working with it," he said.

Most of the county's software is written in-house, he said,

adding, "We've already modified and fixed all of that. It's a matter

of setting up four-digit designations for the years instead of

two-digit," he said.

Y2K questions may be part of the discussion as technology

managers for Fayette's county and city governments get together

tomorrow to talk about ways they can save money or improve

efficiency by cooperating.

The FUTURE (Fayette Unified Team to Use Resources

Effectively) organization, composed of leaders in all the

governments, has been discussing broader questions for more than a

year. FUTURE's technology committee meets Thursday at 9 a.m.

in Peachtree City to narrow that discussion to technology

issues. "One thing that's important is to make our computer systems

talk to one another," said Wright. "We'll also be talking about

what kinds of interconnections of the governments would be useful."

County workers to get free flu shots

Fayette County employees will be getting a shot in the

arm... literally.

County commissioners have agreed to offer flu shots free

to county workers at the County Administrative Complex.

Commissioner Harold Bost said the plan has multiple benefits.

"It's one of the best investments we can make," he told fellow

commissioners. "It cuts down on absenteeism and increases

productivity."

Because the shots will be provided at a convenient

location, more workers will take advantage of them, Bost said, even

though the county workers' health insurance would also provide free

flu shots.

The cost of the mass immunization program, $5 a pop, will

be less than if each employee used his insurance benefits and went

to the doctor's office for a shot, Bost said, and workers can now get

the shots without taking as much time off work.

He thanked assistant county manager Chris Cofty for

negotiating the $5 price with Georgia Baptist Urgent Care.

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