Hinsdale trustees agree to move accounts-payable review to secure electronic workflow, keep vendor invoices available on request

Trustees discussed and agreed to transition the village’s long-standing paper accounts-payable ‘‘bill bag’’ review process to an electronic workflow while preserving trustee oversight and auditor access. Staff explained the finance department is moving to a paperless process in Munis. Department approvals will be recorded in the system with electronic stamps that include the approver’s name and timestamp; an electronic workflow includes multiple approval levels and secondary approvals for invoices above specified amounts. Trustees asked that the warrant list and attachments be provided earlier in the week (staff proposed Wednesday or Thursday) and requested the file order and attachments match the warrant list to preserve the ease of review that trustees have with paper copies. Staff described technical options: individually emailing invoice attachments, providing a OneDrive link to all attachments for the meeting, or producing an additional alpha-sorted export for easier review. Trustees and staff agreed to continue reviewing supporting materials and to pilot the electronic approach while ensuring consistency across trustees. Auditors (Sikich) said they already review electronically and have direct Munis access. Trustees asked staff to ensure secure access and to maintain the same level of approvals and record-keeping; staff said they would provide guidance and aim to circulate materials earlier in the week and match attachment order with the warrant report.