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Comptroller: city now pays approved invoices in about one day; 30‑day payments at 60%
Summary
Baltimore Comptroller’s office reported invoice turnaround of one day after agency approval, a 60% rate of invoices paid within 30 days citywide, and plans for an EFT policy and continued Workday-driven workflows to improve timeliness.
The Baltimore City Comptroller and the director of accounts payable told the Appropriations Committee the office averages one business day to pay invoices after an agency approves them, and that 60% of invoices are paid within 30 days of receipt citywide.
Tim Goldsby, director of accounts payable, said, “The number is 60% right now, of invoices being paid within 30 days of receipt.” The Comptroller and Goldsby described collaborative efforts with city agencies to speed approvals and use Workday to locate stalled invoices.
The office credited a 2023 initiative that examined 30‑, 60‑ and 90‑day outstanding invoices and said it plans to resume that effort in the coming fiscal year. The Comptroller said Workday now makes it easier to identify where a specific invoice is in an agency’s approval process and to name a responsible approver to prompt action. He said that allowed accounts payable to contact approvers or their supervisors when invoices were delayed.
Goldsby gave a program example: the Bureau of Housing and Community Development changed its invoice workflow for contracted in‑home assessments so contractors can upload invoices directly into Workday; that work reduced backlog and resulted in timely, monthly payments. “We collaborated with BCHD’s fiscal team…and now timely payments are going out on a monthly basis,” Goldsby said.
The Comptroller also said the office is developing an electronic funds transfer policy to replace paper checks for some payment amounts and expects to set thresholds in consultation with agencies; the policy’s exact payment thresholds were not specified. The committee did not vote; members asked for continued tracking of on‑time payment metrics and further engagement with agencies.
