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City presents proposal to combine clerk/treasurer, HR, assessor and IT into Department of Finance & Administration
Summary
City leaders outlined a proposed new centralized Department of Finance & Administration combining the Clerk/Treasurer's Office, human resources, assessor and innovation/IT. Officials said two data positions that sat in Planning will move back to the central team and planning to begin an ERP (financial system) procurement.
Catherine Shaw, chief administrative officer for the city, presented a plan on May 14 to consolidate the Clerk/Treasurer's Office, Human Resources, the Assessor’s Office and Innovation & Technology into a new Department of Finance & Administration (DFA).
"We are not seen as often the sexiest of departments, but we are the backbone of the city," Shaw said, summarizing the organizers’ rationale for the consolidation.
Why it matters: The city says centralizing payroll, tax collection, procurement of major software and data functions should reduce duplication, improve customer service and make multi‑year budgeting and charter modernization easier to implement.
Shaw and department leaders said two data‑team positions that had been housed in Planning will move to the new central team and that some software expense lines have been reallocated to IT for management. Scott Parker, the city’s Chief Innovation Officer, explained that some software costs were moved into the central IT budget "because that is the best practice," but that the IT personnel line is level‑funded overall.
Officials also discussed an enterprise resource planning (ERP) effort to replace the city’s core financial system. Catherine Shaw and Scott Parker said the city has started an RFP process and is coordinating with Burlington Electric Department to explore a shared financial system. Parker said a financial system implementation would likely take "12 to 18 months" once a vendor is selected; staff cautioned implementation is a major undertaking that touches nearly every department.
Counselors asked for follow‑up details about staffing counts and workflows under the consolidation. Shaw said the presentation’s org chart was intended to display functions and that department heads would provide fuller, position‑level organization charts on request.
What was not decided: Councillors did not vote to create the department during the informational presentation; the proposal will proceed through council review and formal adoption processes in coming weeks.
What's next: City staff said they will return to council with more detailed org charts, mapping of staff and a combined budget presentation that the administration aims to submit before the final budget votes.
(Quote sources: Catherine Shaw; Scott Parker.)
