Comptroller outlines FY26 budget, modernization steps and train station operations

Comptroller Donna Behringer and Deputy Comptroller Jason Fletcher presented the Comptroller’s FY26 proposed budget to the Budget Committee on May 6, describing the plan as largely inherited and outlining a modernization effort to streamline contracting, invoicing and project accounting.

Fletcher described the comptroller’s combined, all‑funds proposed budget of $18,952,372 for FY26 — a roughly 3% increase year over year — with $13.7 million in the general fund portion. He said the Gateway Transportation Center (GTC) and TIF administration are separate cost centers in the comptroller’s portfolio; the GTC is budgeted at about $2.2 million and TIF administration at about $2.1 million.

Behringer, who said she had been on the job three weeks, said the office will prioritize modernization, including implementing the Oracle contract module with e‑signatures and integrating UKG timekeeping with Oracle for project labor costs. She said a contract with a consultant (Armanino) will bring DocuSign and contract workflow online and that the comptroller’s office has a separate Slalom project to modernize TIF administration.

Fletcher said the proposed table of organization includes a net increase of seven full‑time equivalents overall: five security officers for the Gateway Transportation Center (largely reimbursed by station operators) and two additional auditors for the comptroller proper. He added that the GTC security positions are funded almost entirely by station tenants and that the general‑fund impact is mainly the two audit positions.

Committee members asked about vacant positions, whether previously issued bond proceeds remain unspent, and how modernization will help speed vendor payments. Behringer and Fletcher said the office has funds available to begin modernization and that the contract‑approval module is expected to go live in June, which they expect will reduce approval time and speed processing. Fletcher said the city’s invoice-processing time in the comptroller’s office is currently under two days once a department routes an invoice for payment, and that most payment delays occur at the department level before invoices are entered into Oracle.

Aldermen also asked about the Gateway Transportation Center’s origin and why it sits in the comptroller’s portfolio; former project personnel explained that the center’s bond financing and lease structure led to the facility’s placement in the comptroller’s office for debt and lease management.

Behringer said the comptroller will perform a wider organizational review to propose a restructured FY27 budget and that the office will pursue automation to reduce paper processes, improve contract tracking and integrate payroll and project accounting. She said these steps should improve transparency and reduce administrative time for departments and vendors.

No committee votes were taken on the comptroller’s budget on May 6; aldermen expressed support for the modernization efforts and offered to coordinate on specific policy or contract issues.