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Board approves large Workday-related transfers and deappropriations in capital cleanup
Summary
The Board of Estimates approved a package of deappropriations and transfers from the Department of Planning related to Workday conversion data cleanup, consolidating balances and addressing project deficits across capital projects.
The Board of Estimates on April 16 approved a set of appropriations, deappropriations and transfers submitted by the Department of Planning to clean up capital-project records after the city's conversion to Workday.
Sarah Parnell, a Department of Planning staffer, told the board that the conversion to Workday revealed data inconsistencies across project records and required new business processes and transfers to consolidate multiple project identifiers (PRJs) into single, active accounts. "This is really a cleanup action so that we're clear about what is and is not available within capital projects," Parnell said, summarizing the intent of the items.
The actions before the board included deappropriations of state and federal appropriations that do not have revenue to back them up and multiple transfers: reassigning balances from reserve cost centers to active cost centers; moving small amounts to address deficits identified by the Bureau of Accounting and Payroll Services; and consolidating related project balances into single active PRJs so agencies can more easily see available funding.
Parnell cited examples: a $9 million appropriation for Penn Station redevelopment that state budget language later directed to a nonprofit rather than the city, and a broadband-for-public-housing appropriation that did not materialize as revenue. She described transfers that moved small deficits (for example, under $10,000 for a heritage project and under $5,000 for a Maryland Science Center elevator project) onto related projects with available balances.
Board members discussed the legal and budgetary implications of removing appropriations that had been entered historically in anticipation of possible grants. Comptroller Bill Henry and other members praised the effort to modernize practice, and the administration said going forward the city will request capital appropriations only after grant awards are confirmed.
The board voted to approve each planning item presented on the nonroutine agenda. The items approved included several SB numbers on the Planning docket (deappropriations and transfers) and were recorded as approved with the board calling the ayes and confirming the items individually during the meeting.
The board also directed Planning and Finance to continue periodic reviews so inappropriate or decades-old appropriations do not accumulate.
Votes on the Planning items (each called separately) were taken and approved during the meeting.
