 National Association of Counties * Washington, DC / Vol. 30, No. 14 * July 20, 1998 
As the dawn of a new millennium comes into focus, the most challenging byproduct of crossing the century divide may be the Year 2000 (Y2K) problem. The problems this "millennium bug" poses are real. In fact, the biggest problem may be that nobody is sure what computers are going to do at the stroke of midnight when Dec. 31, 1999 rolls over to Jan. 1, 2000. Imagine that computer systems and, in fact, everything controlled by a process controller (microchip), may stop working, behave erratically or act like nothing has happened. Virtually anything and everything that relies on microchips will be affected. Software that stores and uses data such as spreadsheets, financial management programs and human resources software will be vulnerable to the problem and, by extension, all the data files used by such programs. Some older model personal computers, control mechanisms for security doors and elevators, telephone switches, traffic lights, appliances, electric utility substations, database networks ... the list is endless of chip-supported devices that feel the bite of the bug. What is the Y2K bug? Simply stated, the bug is the result of early computer programming efforts to save storage space. Programmers and engineers decided to reduce the space needed to store a date by recording only the last two digits of the year. For example, Valentine's Day 1980 was stored as 021480. When this century ends, computers won't know the difference between Valentine's Day 1901 and Valentine's Day 2001; both will be stored as 021401. The effect of the Y2K problem could cascade through an entire community. Banks and other financial institutions might not be able to record the date of deposits and withdrawals or correctly calculate interest on loans or savings accounts. Telephone systems may suffer glitches and public safety may be at risk if emergency response systems are affected. Because the Y2K problem might seriously impact local governments, businesses and local economies, Public Technology, Inc. and its sponsoring organizations - NACo, the National League of Cities and the International City/County Management Association-have been working together on ways to address the millennium bug. This cooperative "Y2K & You" education and awareness campaign is designed to reach out to local government officials and assist them in taking the sting out of the Y2K problem. Through a "Y2K & You" tool kit of information, workshops, publications, conference presentations, online discussions and links to information resources, the "Y2K & You" initiative is geared to reach every local government, local official and community across the nation and help them prepare for the Y2K challenge. The combined memberships of the campaign partners represent approximately 39,000 counties, cities and towns in the United States and many will receive first-hand information at the partners' annual and state conferences throughout the coming year. The "Y2K and You" campaign will be officially launched at the NACo Annual Conference in Multnomah County (Portland), Ore. Detailed information on the "Y2K & You" campaign is available by contacting: Public Technology, Inc., 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004-1793, telephone 202/626-2400. Information about the campaign, as well as general Y2K information, can also be found by visiting NACo's Web site at www.naco.org. (Technology News was provided by Pacific Visions Communications.) |
"Y2K & You:
Taking the Bite Out of the Millennium Bug"