After 32 years with the City of Roseville, Terre Heiser will be logging off his computer, and the city network, for the last time on Thursday, October 31. Heiser began his career at Roseville in 1987.
Heiser first served as the he License Center Supervisor. He also oversaw the deputy registrar function and administered city elections.
In 1988 the city started using electronic ballot tabulators, replacing the pull lever voting machines.
As part of the Finance Department, Heiser was also involved in much of the computing technology for the city. When he started, Roseville only had eight computers, all purchased a year earlier for a new accounting software program. In 1995, Heiser connected City Hall to the Internet (dial-up modem) and created the city’s first website, one of the first municipal websites in Minnesota. In December 1997 he deployed email to all full-time city staff and the city entered into its first shared IT services arrangement with the City of Mounds View.
In 1999, Heiser transitioned to managing the IT function for the city. The IT Division was established in 2002 with the addition of Aaron Seeley. By that time, Roseville had almost 100 computers on the network. Today, the IT Division supports 35 other cities and employs 20 staff estimated to serve about 400,000 residents and 2,000 network users. Roseville alone has 250 network computers.
One accomplishment that Heiser said he is most proud of is the development of the shared IT services consortium called Metro-INET. The consolidation of IT services saves member agencies more than $500,000 per year by reducing duplicate systems and streamlining the support process.
With no concrete retirement plans, Heiser expects to spend the next few years rehabilitating the Bloom Family Trust lake cabins. Also on the list is to become a more competitive sailor as he owns a racing sailboat and races out of Wayzata Yacht Club. Volunteering on home construction projects with Habitat for Humanity will fill the rest of his time until his wife retires.
“Thanks to Terre, every piece of equipment and use of technology utilized for Roseville’s programs and services is a direct result of his foresight and hard work,” said City Manager Patrick Trudgeon. “His impact to the organization is tremendous. He will be greatly missed by the organization. We wish him well as he heads into retirement and on to his next adventure."
The city will celebrate Heiser’s retirement on Wednesday, October 30 at 3:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. City staff and friends are invited to attend.