Published Monday, August 24, 1998

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The Y2K bug: What local governments are doing

If problems remain: Five scenarios

• Sewer systems fail.

• Police and fire dispatch centers crash.

• Power plants shut down.

• Traffic signals blink haphazardly.

• Assistance checks stop coming.

What some local governments are doing

• Minneapolis is completing an inventory on its systems and will set priorities for converting them (for instance, it will concentrate on public safety first).

• Washington County has been purchasing new equipment and software for the last two years and is running tests on current hardware.

• Ramsey County has been checking and modifying programs on older systems for the last two years.

• Woodbury began installing and upgrading its systems last year, with the help of a consultant. All of its software and most of its computers are new and therefore Y2K compliant.