HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 10773
City of Palo Alto (ID # 10773)
Policy and Services Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 12/10/2019
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: P&S Recommendation to Accept Status Updates of Audits
Title: Staff Recommends the Policy and Services Committee Recommend the
City Council Accept the Status Updates of the Audits of; 1) Citywide Cash
Handling and Travel Expense; 2) Cable Franchise and PEG Fees; 3) Continuous
Monitoring: Overtime; 4) Continuous Monitoring: Payments
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Administrative Services
Recommendation
Staff Recommends the Policy and Services Committee Recommend the City Council Accept the
Status Updates of the Audits of; 1) Citywide Cash Handling and Travel Expense; 2) Cable
Franchise and PEG Fees; 3) Continuous Monitoring: Overtime; 4) Continuous Monitoring:
Payments
Background
At its meeting on June 11, 2019, the Policy and Services Committee approved by a vote of 2-1
to recommended that the City Council accept the status reports (status updates as of April
2019). Since the item did not receive a unanimous vote it, per the City’s practice, this item was
placed as an action item for City Council discussion.
The City Council reviewed the item at its September 9 meeting (CMR: 10177). The Council voted
6-0 to accept the report.
Discussion
Since the September Council meeting staff has been focused on addressing the outstanding
recommendations as summarized below.
City of Palo Alto Page 2
Audit Status
Citywide Cash Handling and
Travel Expense (issued 9/2010)
Attachment B
Staff has implemented a new meals policy citywide, which is
going into effect in December. This final recommendation is
considered complete.
Cable Franchise and PEG Fee
(issued 6/2016)
Attachment A
The new agreement with the JPA and the Media Center on
the use of PEG fees is being reviewed by the JPA agencies
and the Media Center. Staff expects to bring the new
agreement to the Council for approval in early 2020.
Continuous Monitoring:
Payments (issued 4/2017)
Attachment C
Staff is discussing alternative approaches to completing these
recommendations with the City Auditor and expects to have
these completed in early 2020. Additional updates are
provided in the attachment.
Continuous Monitoring:
Overtime (issued 9/2017)
Attachment D
Staff is working with departments to develop a process to
report overtime citywide and take corrective action as
appropriate. Staff expects this recommendation to be closed
in early 2020. Additional updates are provided in the
attachment.
Stakeholder Engagement
This report and the updates within have been coordinated with the City Auditor’s Office
staffing. The roll out of citywide changes such as the new meals policy included two citywide
training offerings to allow staff to be trained and engage with the new policy and provide
feedback and areas for clarification prior to finalizing.
Resource Impact
The implementation of the audit recommendations thus far have been handled with existing
resources limiting the pace of implementation as well as the absorption of additional duties and
processes as requested in the findings.
Policy Implications
The implementation of the audit recommendations is consistent with existing city policies.
Attachments:
• Attachment A: Cable Franchise and PEG Fees
• Attachment B: Citywide Cash Handling and Travel Expense
• Attachment C: Continuous Monitoring: Payments
• Attachment D: Continuous Monitoring: Overtime
Attachment A
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CABLE FRANCHISE AND PEG FEE AUDIT – ISSUED 6/14/16
PAGE 1
The City Manager has agreed to take the following actions in response to the audit recommendations in this report. The City Manager will report
progress on implementation six months after the Council accepts the audit report, and every six months thereafter until all recommendations have been
implemented.
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status
Implementation Update and
Expected Completion Date
Finding 1: The Media Center did not restrict its use of $340,000 of annual PEG fees to capital expenditures as required by the federal Cable Act.
We recommend that the City Manager’s Office:
1.1 Consult with ASD, IT, the City
Attorney’s Office, and Cable Joint
Powers members to assess the need
to continue collecting PEG fees and
adjust the fee based on a
demonstrated need for future capital
expenses related to PEG access
facilities or discontinue collecting the
fee.
a. If it is determined that the PEG fee
should be adjusted or
discontinued, submit a staff report
to the City Council with a
recommendation to amend the
Municipal Code to reflect the
revised fee or to eliminate the
requirement and recommend to
the other Cable Joint Powers
members that they do the same.
b. If it is determined that the PEG fee
should continue to be collected:
• Amend the agreement with
the Media Center to remove
the requirement for the City to
remit all PEG fees collected to
the Media Center.
City Manager’s
Office, ASD, IT,
City Attorney’s
Office
Concurrence: Agree
Target Date: 2017
Action Plan:
Staff agrees that it should confirm the
ongoing need for the PEG fee and
ensure it is set at a level that is
consistent with future capital needs.
Staff will work with the City Attorney’s
Office to develop a “capital cost”
definition that eliminates any cost
categories that could be construed as
operating costs and will restrict the use
of PEG fees to expenditures that meet
this definition. Staff will also develop
and adopt procedures that define the
PEG fee distribution and reporting
process.
Staff will propose the appropriate
revisions to the Municipal Code if it is
determined that the PEG fee should be
modified in any way.
In Progress December 2019 Management Update:
Council will be presented with a new JPA/Media
Center agreement in early 2020 after review by the
Media Center and the JPA agencies.
Expected Completion Date: Q1 2020
April 2019 Management Update:
On 1/28/2019 Council directed staff to negotiate
agreements to purchase the Media Center building
with PEG fee revenue (CMR 9804). The City is
working through development of the transaction
terms with the Media Center and the Cable Joint
Powers partners, and will return to Council for
approvals.
Expected Completion Date: 4QTR 2019
September 2018 Management Update:
The Cable Joint Powers is evaluating the possible
purchase the Media Center building over time
using PEG fees, in order to dedicate the building to
future PEG use and to maximize the benefit of PEG
fee revenue for PEG capital costs. The City is
discussing the terms of the building purchase
agreement with the Media Center. In the
meantime, PEG fees are being placed in a
Attachment A
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CABLE FRANCHISE AND PEG FEE AUDIT – ISSUED 6/14/16
PAGE 2
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status
Implementation Update and
Expected Completion Date
• Coordinate with ASD, the City
Attorney’s Office, and the
Cable Joint Powers to develop
and implement criteria for the
use of PEG fees to ensure
compliance with the federal
Cable Act, and that the fees
are set at a level appropriate
for anticipated and necessary
capital expenses.
• Place the PEG fees in a
restricted account and
distribute them based on City-
approved capital expenditures
that meet federal Cable Act
requirements.
• Require that semi-annual
documentation of
expenditures be provided and
adopt procedures to review
the documentation to ensure
that PEG fees are spent only as
allowed by the federal Cable
Act and take immediate
corrective action as necessary.
restricted account only to be used for capital
expenditures that meet Federal Cable Act
requirements. Staff expects to provide an update
on the status of the possible purchase of the
Media Center building to the City Council before
the end of 2018.
Expected Completion Date: 1QTR 2019
March 2018 Management Update:
Staff is working with the Cable Joint Powers and
the Media Center to confirm the ongoing need for
PEG fees. It is anticipated that PEG fee revenue
will continue to be needed for appropriate capital
equipment and building expenses. Effective 2016,
PEG fees have been placed in a restricted account
only to be used for capital expenditures that meet
Federal Cable Act requirements. Procedures that
define capital assets, and the PEG fee distribution
and reporting process are under development.
Expected Completion Date: 3QTR 2018
1.2 Consult with ASD, IT, the City
Attorney’s Office, and the Cable Joint
Powers on whether to allocate a
portion of the unrestricted franchise
fees or other funds, instead of
restricted-use PEG fees, to subsidize
the Media Center’s operations or to
discontinue subsidizing the Media
City Manager’s
Office, ASD, IT,
City Attorney’s
Office
Concurrence: Agree
Target Date: 2017
Action Plan:
Staff will consult with the Cable Joint
Powers to determine if there is any
interest in subsidizing the Media
Center’s operations. Staff will propose
In Progress December 2019 Management Update:
Council will be presented with a new JPA/Media
Center agreement in early 2020.
Expected Completion Date: Q1 2020
April 2019 Management Update:
On 1/28/2019 Council directed staff to negotiate
Attachment A
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CABLE FRANCHISE AND PEG FEE AUDIT – ISSUED 6/14/16
PAGE 3
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status
Implementation Update and
Expected Completion Date
Center’s operations. Based on the
resulting recommendation, the City
Manager’s Office should make
recommendations to the Council
regarding appropriate future funding,
if any, for the Media Center.
recommendations to the City Council if
needed.
agreements to purchase the Media Center building
with PEG fee revenue (CMR 9804). The City is
working through development of the transaction
terms with the Media Center and the Cable Joint
Powers partners, and will return to Council for
approvals.
Expected Completion Date: 4QTR 2019
September 2018 Management Update:
The Cable Joint Powers prefers not to subsidize the
Media Center operations with franchise fees or
other funds. Instead, the City is pursuing the
option of using PEG fees to purchase the Media
Center building, thus providing the Media Center
with funds to cover its operating costs.
Expected Completion Date: 1QTR 2019
March 2018 Management Update:
The City is exploring with the Media Center a
proposal for the use of PEG fees to purchase the
Media Center’s facility. Under this option, the JPA
would use PEG fees for capital, enabling the Media
Center to cover operational expenses. (Staff will
report back to Council on the merits of this option
in the spring/summer 2018 timeframe.) The Cable
Joint Powers favors this option over using
franchise fees or other funds to subsidize the
Media Center’s operations.
Expected Completion Date: 4QTR 2018
Attachment A
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CABLE FRANCHISE AND PEG FEE AUDIT – ISSUED 6/14/16
PAGE 4
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status
Implementation Update and
Expected Completion Date
Finding 3: Roles and responsibilities for managing the City’s cable communications program are not clearly defined or assigned.
We recommend that the City Clerk and City Manager’s Office:
3.1. Confer and develop a
recommendation for the City Council
to assign responsibility for the City’s
cable communications program and
require the assigned department to
provide appropriate program
oversight to ensure that:
a. The City’s cable communications
program objectives are aligned
with the City’s goals and
objectives.
b. The assigned department
develops performance measures
to demonstrate that the program
is effective and is meeting the
City’s goals and objectives.
c. There is effective oversight and
management of the cable
coordinator’s contract and
activities.
City Manager’s
Office, City
Clerk
Concurrence: Agree
Target Date: 4Q 2016
Action Plan:
Staff will determine where to assign
responsibility for the City’s cable
communications program/activities and
propose the appropriate revisions to the
Municipal Code. The responsible
department will establish performance
measures to ensure proper program
administration and oversight.
In Progress December 2019 Management Update:
Staff is in the process of transitioning cable
responsibilities to the City Manager’s Office.
Expected Completion Date: Q2 2020
April 2019 Management Update:
The Administrative Services Department assumed
responsibility for the City’s cable communications
program on an interim basis. A permanent
placement will be identified after the audit findings
are fully implemented.
Expected Completion Date: TBD
September 2018 Management Update:
Responsibility for the City’s cable communications
program was transferred to the Administrative
Service Department on an interim basis. After staff
completes the implementation of the audit
findings, it will determine where to assign final
responsibility for the program.
Expected Completion Date: 1QTR 2019
March 2018 Management Update:
Staff is evaluating where to assign responsibility
for the City’s cable communications
program/activities and will propose the
appropriate revisions to the Municipal Code.
Attachment A
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CABLE FRANCHISE AND PEG FEE AUDIT – ISSUED 6/14/16
PAGE 5
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status
Implementation Update and
Expected Completion Date
Expected Completion Date: 4QTR 2018
3.2. Submit a draft ordinance to the Palo
Alto City Council recommending
revisions to the Palo Alto Municipal
Code based on the revised
assignment of roles and
responsibilities.
Not Started December 2019 Management Update:
Staff is in the process of transitioning cable
responsibilities to the City Manager’s Office.
Expected Completion Date: TBD
April 2019 Management Update:
Staff plans to propose revisions to the Municipal
Code after it determines where final responsibility
for the City’s cable communications program will
reside.
Expected Completion Date: TBD
September 2018 Management Update:
Staff will propose appropriate revisions to the
Municipal Code after it determines where final
responsibility for the City’s cable communications
program will reside.
Expected Completion Date: TBD
April 2017 Management Update:
Not started.
Expected Completion Date: 4QTR 2018
Attachment B
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CITYWIDE CASH HANDLING AND TRAVEL EXPENSE – ISSUED 9/15/10
PAGE 1
The City Manager has agreed to take the following actions in response to the audit recommendations in this report. The City Manager will report progress on
implementation six months after the Council accepts the audit report, and every six months thereafter until all recommendations have been implemented.
Recommendation
Responsible
Department Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status
Implementation Update and
Expected Completion Date
Finding 1: Stronger controls are needed for cash handling
Finding 2: Increased oversight and coordination can improve the employee travel expense process.
6. ASD should review the nighttime
meeting reimbursement policy. If the City
decides to maintain this practice, ASD
should report the amounts as income on
employee Form W-2s to conform to
Internal Revenue Service requirements.
In addition, ASD should review other
types of meal expense to ensure any
reportable amounts are included on
employee Form W-2s.
Auditor’s Note: The City Auditor and
Administrative Services Department staff
met to discuss using federal per diem
rates, which is a best practice, instead of
requiring employees to provide meal
receipts when traveling.
Administrative
Services
Department
Target Date Not Provided
ASD has determined that handling
such reimbursements through payroll
would involve significant staff time.
Staff is developing a process that will
comply with the IRS regulation in the
most economical and efficient
fashion. Any change in
reimbursements would be subject to
meet-and-confer depending on the
labor group.
Complete December 2019 Management Update:
The updated meals policy has been implemented
and is going into effect in December 2019. Training
of employee and citywide communications are
complete, and a firm implementation date no later
than December 31, 2019 is expected. Taxable meals
per IRS requirements will now be captured on
employee paychecks and W-2s.
April 2019 Management Update:
Staff has developed a form and draft policy for
tracking meal expenses on employee W2s. Staff is
reviewing the form and policy with departments.
Expected Completion Date: 4QTR 2019
September 2018 Management Update:
Staff has developed a form and draft policy for
tracking meal expenses on employee W2s. Staff is
reviewing the form and policy with departments.
Expected Completion Date: 1QTR 2019
March 2018 Management Update:
Staff has developed a form and draft policy for
tracking meal expenses on employee W2s. Staff is
reviewing the form and policy with departments.
The new expected due date for capturing meals
expenses on W2s is 12/31/2018.
Attachment B
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CITYWIDE CASH HANDLING AND TRAVEL EXPENSE – ISSUED 9/15/10
PAGE 2
Recommendation
Responsible
Department Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status
Implementation Update and
Expected Completion Date
April 2017 Management Update:
Staff is planning to include taxable meals on
employee W2s by the end of 2017.
Expected Completion Date: 12/31/2017
October 2015 Management Update: ASD, working
with the City Auditor and the City Manager’s Office,
and has completed the first phase changes to the
meal reimbursement policy. Staff changed the
reimbursement for travel meals to the IRS per diem
limits, which do not require reporting on an
employee’s W2.
June 2014 Management Update: ASD staff is
reviewing process changes coupled with search and
reporting capabilities in the purchase card system
that could make it feasible for the Accounts Payable
and Payroll processes to sync up so that all taxable
meal reimbursements would be included on
employee paychecks to ensure proper handling of
taxable meal pay to employees. Expected
Completion Date: 4/1/15
Prior Years’ Management Updates (summarized):
ASD updated the travel policy, petty cash policy, and
reimbursement form to ensure proper coding of
meals. ASD also established a new general ledger
account to capture taxable meals for inclusion on
employee W-2 forms as compensation. It takes
considerable staff time to track and record these
taxable meals such as meals provided during one-
day training and meals provided to employees
during overtime. Given the small number of
incidents and the low dollar amounts, probably in
the few thousand dollars citywide in a given year,
Attachment B
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CITYWIDE CASH HANDLING AND TRAVEL EXPENSE – ISSUED 9/15/10
PAGE 3
Recommendation
Responsible
Department Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status
Implementation Update and
Expected Completion Date
staff is looking at phasing out these types of meals.
A further complication is that meals are sometimes
purchased with a P-card and may be for several
staff. There is currently no easy way to assign these
charges to the appropriate person receiving the
meal.
Attachment C
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CONTINUOUS MONITORING: PAYMENTS – ISSUED 4/3/17
The City Manager has agreed to take the following actions in response to the audit recommendations in this report. The City Manager will report progress on
implementation six months after the Council accepts the audit report, and every six months thereafter until all recommendations have been implemented.
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status Status
Finding: 1. Implementing a continuous monitoring process can help the City identify duplicate invoice payments. The City recovered 17 (71 percent) of 24 confirmed
duplicate invoice payments.
1.1. Build a continuous monitoring
reporting process into the new ERP
system to identify potential
duplicate invoices based on
information such as vendor, date,
invoice number, and amount, and
run the report at least monthly. ASD
should review the results, seek
recovery of duplicate payments, and
identify and correct process
deficiencies that allowed the
duplicate payments to be processed.
ASD Concurrence: Agree
Target Date: TBD (date of ERP implementation)
Action Plan: ASD agrees that a continuous
monitoring reporting process should be part of
the accounts payable process. ASD and City staff
currently detects and recovers duplicate
payments through periodic account analysis,
contract monitoring and notifications from
vendors. Per the auditor’s recommendation,
ASD will develop and document an internal
control process to identify duplicates for the
new ERP system.
ASD is in the process of implementing a hard
stop in the City’s SAP system if the invoice date,
invoice number, and invoice amount are the
same. Previously, only a warning was issued and
it was possible to still enter a duplicate invoice.
This more restrictive configuration should
decrease the number of duplicate payments.
It is important to note that no system can
prevent 100% of duplicate payments. However
strong internal controls and entity -wide
coordination, can prevent most duplicates. With
technological advances and changing
requirements we have seen an increase in
In process
December 2019 Management Update:
Staff is developing an alternative approach
in light of the revised path for a new ERP
system and is working with the City
Auditor to implement the new approach.
Expected Completion Date: first quarter
2020
April 2019 Management Update:
The City will be upgrading the current SAP
environment per CMR 9826 rather than
implement a new ERP. Duplicate payment
detection will be implemented in the
upcoming upgrade to the current SAP
environment.
Target Completion Date: TBD (date of ERP
upgrade)
September 2018 Management Update:
See below, no new update.
Expected Completion Date:
March 2018 Management Update:
Attachment C
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CONTINUOUS MONITORING: PAYMENTS – ISSUED 4/3/17
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status Status
duplicate invoices arriving in Accounts Payable.
Invoices come in to Accounts Payable from
multiple sources, and while previously a best
practice, requiring original invoices is no longer
practical. Invoices are now emailed by the
vendor, sent via DocuSign, by internal
departments and sometimes also sent via U.S.
mail.
As of 12/28/17, SAP is configured to result
in a hard stop if a duplicate invoice is
entered. Previously only a warning was
given. The fields that are configured for a
hard stop are a combination of vendor
number, invoice date, reference text
(invoice number), amount and company
code.
In the upcoming demonstrations, ASD will
seek confirmation that the new ERPs can
provide similar duplicate invoice
detection.
Expected Completion Date: TBD (date of
ERP implementation)
Finding: 2. Numerous unneeded vendor records increase the risk of inappropriate and erroneous payments and payment records, as well as incorrect tax reporting.
2.1. Build a continuous monitoring
process into the new ERP system to:
• Review the vendor master file at
least annually to identify
duplicate, incomplete, or unused
vendor records (i.e., vendor
records not used during a time
frame determined by ASD).
• Inactivate duplicate vendor
records, enter missing identifying
information based on reliable
source documents such as a
vendor-provided IRS Form W9,
and inactivate or archive unused
vendor records.
ASD Concurrence: Agree
Target Date: TBD (date of ERP implementation)
Action Plan: ASD agrees that a continuous
monitoring process should be built into the new
ERP system.
When the new ERP is implemented ASD will
prepare a plan to review the vendor master file
at least annually and inactivate unused,
incomplete or inactive vendors.
Part of the annual review of the master vendor
file will also entail identifying and deleting
duplicate vendors. In addition, staff will also
In Process December 2019 Management Update:
Staff is developing an alternative approach
in light of the revised path for a new ERP
system and is working with the City
Auditor to implement the new approach.
Expected Completion Date: first quarter
2020
April 2019 Management Update:
The City will be upgrading the current SAP
environment per CMR 9826 rather than
implement a new ERP. Duplicate payment
detection will be implemented in the
Attachment C
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CONTINUOUS MONITORING: PAYMENTS – ISSUED 4/3/17
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status Status
update the missing vendor record using
information from sources mentioned in the
recommendation. ASD staff will also work with
ERP Team to explore other options to
accommodate different “Remit To” addresses
without creating a new vendor number.
upcoming upgrade to the current SAP
environment.
Target Completion Date: TBD (date of ERP
upgrade)
September 2018 Management Update:
See below, no new update.
Expected Completion Date:
March 2018 Management Update:
To be implemented with new ERP. Prior to
implementation, ASD will prepare a plan
to review the vendor master file at least
annually and inactivate unused,
incomplete or inactive vendors.
Expected Completion Date: TBD (date of
ERP implementation)
2.2. Clean the City’s vendor master file in
accordance with recommendations
2.1 and 2.2 before merging the data
into the City’s proposed new ERP
system.
ASD Concurrence: Agree
Target Date: TBD with adoption of new ERP
system
Action Plan: In order to provide consistency,
ASD intends to begin from scratch with the
Master Vendor File when the City adopts a new
ERP.
In Process December 2019 Management Update:
Staff is developing an alternative approach
in light of the revised path for a new ERP
system and is working with the City
Auditor to implement the new approach.
Expected Completion Date: first quarter
2020
April 2019 Management Update:
The City will be upgrading the current SAP
environment per CMR 9826 rather than
Attachment C
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CONTINUOUS MONITORING: PAYMENTS – ISSUED 4/3/17
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status Status
implement a new ERP. The vendor master
file will be cleaned as part of the
upcoming upgrade to the current SAP
environment.
Target Completion Date: TBD (date of ERP
upgrade)
September 2018 Management Update:
See below, no new update.
Expected Completion Date:
March 2018 Management Update:
Prior to the conversion to a new ERP, ASD
will identify the vendors to input into the
new system. ASD will also create a coding
standard for data entry to be used by
Purchasing and Accounts Payable.
Expected Completion Date: Prior to ERP
implementation
ATTACHMENT D
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CONTINUOUS MONITORING: OVERTIME – ISSUED 9/6/17
The City Manager has agreed to take the following actions in response to the audit recommendations in this report. The City Manager will report progress on
implementation six months after the Council accepts the audit report, and every six months thereafter until all recommendations have been implemented.
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status Status
Finding: Implementing a continuous monitoring process for overtime in the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) environment can help the City improve its
resource allocation and utilization.
1. Explore the potential of developing a
continuous monitoring process to
provide more detailed information on
overtime usage so that management
can better manage and control
overtime costs. A continuous
monitoring system could include data
analytics to extract data on service
demands, absences and vacancies,
and elements of city policies and
contractual requirement that could be
useful in identifying opportunities to
reduce overtime costs.
ASD Concurrence: Agree
Target Date: 4th Quarter 2018
Action Plan: ASD will work with departments to
explore the potential of developing a
continuous monitoring process for overtime.
In Process December 2019 Management Update:
Staff is developing an alternative approach
in light of the revised path for a new ERP
system and is working with the City
Auditor to implement the new approach.
Both the Police Department and Fire
Department have significantly increased
their due diligence in monitoring overtime
usage and the causes.
Expected Completion Date: first quarter
2020
September 2019 Management Update:
Staff is working with departments to
develop a process to report overtime
citywide and take corrective action as
appropriate. Staff expects this
recommendation to be closed in early
2020.
April 2019 Management Update:
Staff is working with departments to
explore the potential of developing a
continuous monitoring process for
overtime.
ATTACHMENT D
STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
CONTINUOUS MONITORING: OVERTIME – ISSUED 9/6/17
Recommendation
Responsible
Department(s) Original Target Date and Response
Current
Status Status
Expected Completion Date: 4th Quarter
2019
2. Form a work group consisting of main
end users and stakeholders to design
shared system capabilities and
standardized overtime management
processes in the new ERP
environment by:
• Identifying useful overtime data
including their source, and user
interface (e.g., dashboard with
drilldown and reporting
capabilities) that allow users to
analyze pertinent overtime factors
shown in Appendix 1 in a
comprehensive manner.
• Identifying manual data collection
and auxiliary processes (e.g.,
billing, reimbursement) that can be
automated.
• Reviewing applicable ERP system
requirements to ensure needed
capabilities are included in the
City’s ERP contract.
ASD Concurrence: Agree
Target Date: 4th Quarter 2018
Action Plan: ASD will work with departments to
determine shared needs for overtime in the
new ERP system. Staff is currently evaluating
ERP solutions for payroll and core financials and
staff has communicated the important of
overtime reporting to the vendors. Once an ERP
solution is selected staff will finalize overtime
reporting requirements and build those
requirements into the new ERP system with the
implementation consultants.
Not Started December 2019 Management Update:
Staff is developing an alternative approach
in light of the revised path for a new ERP
system and is working with the City
Auditor to implement the new approach.
Expected Completion Date: first quarter
2020
April 2019 Management Update:
The City will be upgrading the current SAP
environment per CMR 9826 rather than
implement a new ERP. As part of that
project ASD will work with departments to
determine shared needs for overtime in
the upgrade, as new system capabilities
allow.
Expected Completion Date: TBD