AGENDA #1
Wednesday,
February 28, 2001
Finance Department
Initial Budget
Presentation to the Mayor and Council
Fiscal Year 2001-2002
MISSION STATEMENT
The primary mission of the
Finance Department is to provide financial and technology oversight and direction
to help the Town make the best possible use of its assets.
BRIEF SERVICES DESCRIPTION
The key services provided by the
department are:
- Provide support for the budget process including an
accurate and informative budget document.
- Oversee Town purchasing and contracts.
- Monitor the Town’s fiscal position and provide for
appropriate investments and borrowings.
- Efficiently provide accurate and informative
financial records.
- Provide the structure, equipment, software, and
support for staff, citizens and other interested parties to use Town
information efficiently within a secure environment.
DEPARTMENT REVENUE ESTIMATES
The Finance Department does not directly generate revenues.
DEPARTMENT BASE BUDGET COST ESTIMATES
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KEY BASE COST ISSUES
Operations – slight increase (amount over 3% offset by
capital decrease)
KEY SERVICES THAT ARE GOING WELL
- Budget preparation
- Purchasing and contract oversight – Including the
development of a Town procurement card program
- Cash, investment, and borrowing oversight
- Provision of accurate and informative financial
records
- Improvements
to network speed
KEY INFORMATION SYSTEMS COSTS INCLUDED IN BASE BUDGET
- Continuing Support ($46,571) – Internet access costs
and maintenance contracts for financial software, network equipment, and
printers remain steady.
- Network Wide Area Data Lines ($22,700) - Wide area
network data support costs have increased because of telephone line
limitations requiring more expensive data connections. These increases
have been largely offset by reduced costs for network equipment
maintenance.
- Capital Equipment ($29,000) – Planned replacement of
four servers.
- Network software licensing ($50,000) – Server and
desktop software is licensed primarily through State contracts. To
accommodate uniform maintenance and upgrades for the 275 Town systems, a
portion needs to be purchased each year.
- Supplies and Training ($22,100) – Mandatory system
and software training supports the Town’s increasingly complex network
systems.
KEY SERVICES THAT CAN BE IMPROVED
- Timeliness of preparation and review of payroll data
and related reports
- Implementation of the Technology Plan
- Computer support services and training for staff
- Network stability through the provision of a
replacement program for network infrastructure equipment
- Provision of information to staff and citizens via
the Town’s web-site
PROPOSED ADDITIONS:
· Additional 7.5 hours for
part-time Payroll Clerk position to allow the Finance Department to assume
responsibility for payroll related data entry currently assumed by Personnel
and to allow more time to ensure the accuracy of payroll and related reporting
($6,000)
To support
improvements proposed in the Technology Plan as presented to the Council on
February 26. We recommended
consideration of the following increases:
- Full-time position for Information Technology Support
and Training ($54,000)
- Funding support for server replacement ($25,000)
- Funding support for technology-related contracted
services ($28,000)
- Funding for geographical information systems improvements
($9,000)
- Funding for departmental web publishing software
($15,000)