[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6344422,"mediaKeyId","2250903-1a6b74ec131074d4a67712ac24cafa62","parentId",2250903,"title","Finance staff say municipal software upgrade needed to reduce labor‑intensive reporting","audioSeconds",158,"startMs",2314000,"endMs",2472000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250903-1a6b74ec131074d4a67712ac24cafa62&start=2314&end=2472","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250903-1a6b74ec131074d4a67712ac24cafa62/thumbnail_2314000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6344422/Cleveland-Heights/Cuyahoga-County/Ohio/Finance-staff-say-municipal-software-upgrade-needed-to-reduce-laborintensive-reporting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344422-ff234a750cae262c4c2e8ac39b3667b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1773709386&Signature=F7Da1OXDxEh6mGycEd~tjngVe7ZmSb7QETzZWs4jaiU75MNIEmWs74rt6nOY3xKhGEt3f6luJ16qu3inIMeGcHTssdppWStBWClrnWKom6~zmZYQ0ntrFjirRNZF05YghPOWhJfA-qeThbhRPnyuy4sBheMU57YwvB2gmTWUKToncknDXUTt3QayVis2wfHysDGB9LF4gFzMTXOlyQqnUG38ieCuwdUGt5Wb5MAPtv~sI47qQNqhzHySdQIGrYasEQwvnjZbJVUbZeC9T76wNjvyfiCUAiWHTdRdVT0gijunmZ0nJ8-i5KHmDcRPuCa8e0T8h4Mxc-9lHTVhaFu9Iw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Cleveland Heights, OH","date","2025-02-07T17:19:57Z","article","Cleveland Heights finance staff and consultants told the committee the city’s current accounting and reporting software is labor‑intensive and hampers timely production of monthly financial reports.

Committee members asked whether the administration would welcome a new package; staff said the administration would welcome moving off a “cumbersome” legacy system but that a selection and implementation process would require a careful options analysis and likely an RFP. The administrators and consultants identified Munis (Tyler Technologies) among commonly used municipal systems and said the city would evaluate commercial solutions against its needs.

Officials described the work as a multi‑stage effort: (1) defining functional requirements, (2) surveying vendors and total cost of ownership, (3) procuring a solution via competitive process, and (4) implementing and training finance and department staff. Committee members asked that the proposed process involve the finance director and any new efficiency/operations staff to minimize the chance of repeated delays.

No procurement decision was made. The committee and administration agreed to explore options and to consider a software‑procurement line item in a future budget cycle once requirements and costs are better understood.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cleveland Heights Finance Committee February 6, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Committee members and administration discussed replacing the city’s aging financial software; staff described the current system as cumbersome and said an RFP and planning would be required to evaluate modern municipal finance products such as Munis.","taxTitle","Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County, Ohio","taxId",54271,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6344427,"Committee presses administration for completed financial statements and audit timeline",2104,110000,2214000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250903-1a6b74ec131074d4a67712ac24cafa62&start=110&end=2214","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250903-1a6b74ec131074d4a67712ac24cafa62/thumbnail_110000.jpg","/articles/6344427/Cleveland-Heights/Cuyahoga-County/Ohio/Committee-presses-administration-for-completed-financial-statements-and-audit-timeline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344427-bdc90daf40edcd0fa5ccbb220915b544/orig.mp4?Expires=1773709386&Signature=J~u6ocnN81fvUl4uipLs7jTPmdPdV-taS2nw0z1kp~gfTUulvfxzRI5yJsKZQ~E08XxLkTvqEggs13hHkVDbu26GPizEpflOEEKeLfBTMgvatdVrie0wNvqDpUxspVuIAaw4ReHo4OU9ydAecJLSDvyQz-dq6jXO6wcRik6zv828NjoKFEsbFCLanUF4UnX6yNb4wEcrQ3ncEbvKE677nTtlBQLorbCAEP7YUQ7HG8NLm0HO8qkQSgaFdzBP76KGSumrF8da0qnm9oVILotjUVfeGAQNAga~BNUmCu-Vds9x~Jo1SQ7dilvj4omRhahEwEX-yBCO~8~cC2v8jkbMrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cleveland Heights Finance Committee spent substantial time pressing the administration for completed financial statements and a clearer audit timeline.

Consultants and finance staff told the committee the 2023 audit cannot proceed until the city’s 2023 financial statements are finalized and prepared for the auditors. Frank Eich, introduced by the chair as a consultant working with the administration on financial statements, said, “On the back end of that, once those financial statements are done, that's when the audit will be performed by SELPCO.” Committee members said they want October and November monthlies and a near‑final December close so council can reconcile the budget book to the appropriations ordinance and verify year‑end fund balances.

Finance staff reported they provided bank reconciliations for October and November and described December as in a “soft close” stage; staff said they expect any remaining changes before the hard close to be minimal. Committee members asked the administration to circulate updated financial statements, including department-level payroll and personnel comparisons, and to provide an updated expense report through Dec. 31 so the council can quantify year-end variances including savings from unfilled positions.

The committee left the item open pending receipt of the detailed budget-book reconciliations, year-end fund balances and the department-level breakdowns. Staff said the financial statement completion is the prerequisite for the audit by SELPCO and that bank reconciliations have been submitted for review.

Key clarifying details discussed during the meeting included: the need to reconcile the budget book with the appropriations ordinance so councilors can trace department-level requests to specific funds; confirmation that December remained soft-closed at the time of the meeting; and that the finance capital projects fund (Fund 402) and other restricted funds have balances that must be reflected correctly in the year-end statements.

Committee members requested paper copies of updated expense worksheets and asked staff to follow up with the full reconciliations before the committee’s next meeting. No formal action or vote on the audit schedule was recorded during the meeting.","Committee members said the city must finish 2023 financial statements before the audit can begin and asked for month-end reconciliations and October–December reports; staff said bank reconciliations for October and November were provided and December is soft closed.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6344431,"Finance committee agrees to send amended $13.6 million capital package to council for second reading",4179,407000,4586000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250903-1a6b74ec131074d4a67712ac24cafa62&start=407&end=4586","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250903-1a6b74ec131074d4a67712ac24cafa62/thumbnail_407000.jpg","/articles/6344431/Cleveland-Heights/Cuyahoga-County/Ohio/Finance-committee-agrees-to-send-amended-136-million-capital-package-to-council-for-second-reading","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344431-b9efe58df9626b53095c9498113e96ca/orig.mp4?Expires=1773709386&Signature=hS1slpLkTz4P4WXK~8CkNXZViq2vcMEx8UU7O8DRtAabIzmZfMl9ereM7L8uM~E3xS-M6bTIAHbQNLfzTtgBr0TTM-PA6efJFKHKdFiT8CWqQNBSnCtiSjss9Taw9wWAR8ZQTvXKwX94gRDj8DpVVrg0nhf~txxRk2~0trNtn3wuwcimguDB6bIxczuALOohbxg66YAx4NuWkqkLsrrE5ueAa4lXnhEYHDbsCGhgUYLEiBphd~MP5N-XUUYnDy4UCHVx7PbjzPGJWPVeJWDT5p22wwncwD~d6bQTVL26YZBLmzIQqKrZ8-Ub5PXGM6eZ7mvvtltLLfxawT-7j7v~zA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Cleveland Heights Finance Committee meeting, Chair Gail Larson and committee members agreed to send an amended version of Appropriations Ordinance 011-2025 — which adds roughly $13.6 million in capital requests — back to full council for a second reading so it can be added to the Feb. 18 council agenda.

The package combines $4.4 million already in the introduced budget with about $9.2 million in additional capital requests that the administration proposed this month. The administration indicated the new items would be added to the ordinance by amending the ordinance exhibits; finance staff said most of the additional cash would be funded from special funds rather than the general fund. Assistant Director Phelps described the spreadsheet the administration provided as “the administration’s capital request for 2025. This is what we are going to be pursuing in 2025.”

Why it matters: the additional requests include vehicles, public-works equipment and infrastructure work the administration says will address deferred capital needs. Committee members expressed competing priorities: some urged adoption of the full list to address long-standing maintenance gaps; others said they wanted to review the line-item detail once final year-end financial statements are posted.

Key details from the administration’s spreadsheet include:
- A $13.6 million total that combines the $4.4 million currently in the ordinance with about $9.2 million of additions.
- The finance capital projects fund (Fund 402) would absorb about $4.0 million of the additions, leaving an estimated ~ $5.0 million balance in that fund after the proposed spending.
- A $650,000 heavy truck for Public Works that the administration said would be largely reimbursed by a community cost share with the sewer district.
- A $390,000 skate-park replacement that the administration said is grant-funded and therefore will be budgeted with corresponding revenue.
- Adjustments on the Altamont water line project: engineering increased to $125,000 while construction estimates were lowered to about $740,000, producing a net project total the administration described as roughly $865,000 and reimbursable.

Committee action and next steps: Chair Larson asked whether the committee members were willing to release the ordinance back to council with the additions; members present indicated agreement and expected the amended ordinance to appear on the council agenda for a second reading in mid‑February. The committee also instructed the administration to provide department-level reconciliations that show how amounts in the published budget book map to the appropriation exhibits and to schedule department briefings (public works, fire, police, parks and recreation, planning/neighborhoods and IT were identified as priority departments) so council members can ask detailed questions about specific capital items.

Quotes from the meeting were limited to speakers in the committee. Chair Gail Larson asked the committee: “Are you willing to release the ordinance back to council for that second reading so it’s on the agenda for the 18th?” Assistant Director Phelps told members, “This is the administration’s capital request for 2025. This is what we are going to be pursuing in 2025.”

The committee did not record a roll-call vote on the floor; members indicated support during the discussion and the ordinance will proceed to full council with the administration’s proposed exhibit changes and the expectation that councilors will have the opportunity to propose amendments during the formal council meeting.","Cleveland Heights finance committee members agreed to send an amended appropriations ordinance that adds roughly $13.6 million in capital items to council for a second reading, and set a timeline for department-level briefings and line-item explanations.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Finance staff say municipal software upgrade needed to reduce labor‑intensive reporting

Committee presses administration for completed financial statements and audit timeline

Finance committee agrees to send amended $13.6 million capital package to council for second reading