Gahanna administrative services outlines training, risk management, grants and tech projects

Senior Deputy Director Weibensinger and Senior Director Volmer delivered an update to the Gahanna City Council Committee of the Whole on the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) organization, recent and planned safety training, grants activity and technology projects.

The presentation covered DAS responsibilities that include finance, information technology, human resources and mayor’s court support, plus oversight of risk and safety programs. Weibensinger said DAS recently moved insurance oversight from the Department of Public Service into DAS to provide “better oversight” of coverages and appraisals and noted the city holds three seats on the CORMA insurance pool board.

Why it matters: Council members heard DAS has expanded in‑house capacity for functions that affect city operations and liability—training, claims handling and grant management—and intends to use software and process changes to track compliance and costs more efficiently.

DAS emphasized employee safety and training expansion. Staff reported seven new trainings added last year and an aspiration to add roughly 40 more training modules in 2025 using a new learning-management platform, NeoGov Learn, to assign and track individualized training plans. The department also described an in‑house CDL program originally started as a cost-saving measure: DAS said outsourced CDL training cost about $7,500–$8,000 per participant and that bringing the program in‑house has allowed more control over curriculum; the department graduated five participants last year and has another five–six beginning this year.

Risk management work includes an updated security and vulnerability assessment of city facilities and a crisis communications plan DAS is shaping with an outside vendor to coordinate internal and external messaging during major incidents. Weibensinger framed the plan as a “higher level framework” that will later be transitioned to the communications and marketing team for execution.

DAS also described technology projects intended to improve efficiency. Centurorisk appraisal software (rolled out through CORMA) will provide more real-time property appraisal data, while Munis-related work, onboarding digital forms and a new time-and-attendance system aim to reduce paper processes. The department said it is finalizing an onboarding system for seasonal hires and rolling out TrueComp labor-cost software and Telestaff for police/communications timekeeping.

On grants, DAS said it is tracking approximately 20 active grant/loan/tax credit pursuits and has six finalized grant awards from last year. Staff noted application timelines and federal funding pauses make revenue uncertain; as Weibensinger put it during questions, funds that recur annually can be “noncommittal until they’re actually issued.” DAS said it applied this year for a body-worn camera reimbursement grant (about $111,000 requested) and listed other awards such as a boat-safety education grant and a technical-assistance GIS grant.

Council members asked about specific operational outcomes. When asked whether expanded safety training had produced measurable reductions in worker’s‑comp claims, DAS answered that the city historically has had few claims and could not yet point to a clear numeric correlation; staff framed the approach as proactive risk mitigation rather than an immediate cost-avoidance line item. On insurance premiums, DAS said working with its CORMA pool helps identify training opportunities and minimize the growth of insurance costs, but did not claim a specific premium reduction attributable to the new programs.

DAS ended the briefing by inviting council questions and highlighted upcoming public engagement tied to the city’s strategic and economic development plan.