CF 12-0460-S2  at City Council

PLANNING AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT and INNOVATION, GRANTS, TECHNOLOGY, COMMERCE AND TRADE COMMITTEES’ REPORT relative to releasing portions of the re:code LA Web-based Zoning Code System as Open Source.

Recommendations for Council action:

ADOPT the public benefit findings as outlined in the Department of City Planning (DCP) report dated November 18, 2015 and attached to Council file No. 12-0460-S2.
AUTHORIZE the DCP to release the WebCode Toolkit, and subsequent updates, to the open source community as stated in the DCP report dated November 18, 2015 and attached to Council file No. 12-0460-S2.
APPROVE the use of GNU General Public License, Version 2 or later, subject to City Attorney approval as stated in the DCP report dated November 18, 2015 and attached to Council file No. 12-0460-S2.
AUTHORIZE the DCP to prepare the necessary revisions to Contract No. C-122418 as stated in the DCP report dated November 18, 2015 and attached to Council file No. 12-0460-S2.

Fiscal Impact Statement: The total cost for developing the WebCode Toolkit is $7,500. The fund will pay for the work hours needed to compartmentalize portions of the WebCode system into separate modules that will make the Toolkit more attractive to the open source community. With approval from Council, the funds can be reallocated from the Project Website Content and Functionality Enhancement line item of DCP’s existing contract with the Consultant for the open source work with no impact on the overall project. By releasing the WebCode Toolkit as open source, the City creates opportunity for potential improvements made by the open source community that can be contributed back into the WebCode Toolkit. These potential improvements could allow for the enhancement of the functionality of the City’s WebCode system without the investment of as much time or money as would otherwise be required.

Community Impact Statement: None submitted.