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Council discusses need for citywide timekeeping and cost tracking for maintenance and cemetery work
Summary
Council members said they need a system to track staff time and equipment use across city functions — including cemetery work — to improve budgeting and accountability, and considered simple and commercial options.
Council members and staff discussed Sept. 10 the absence of a consistent timekeeping and job-cost tracking system for maintenance, cemetery, streets and other city functions.
Council members said management needs to know how staff time and equipment hours are allocated before finalizing budget lines. Staff suggested options ranging from daily iPad/Excel logs to commercial products (names mentioned during the meeting included VantagePoint and Clavia) that track time, job numbers, mileage and equipment use. The council asked staff to investigate options, costs and training needs; staff said they would contact neighboring jurisdictions and vendors and return with recommendations.
Council members noted that a simple daily log or a half-hour per day dedicated to time reporting could materially improve budget accuracy in the short term; staff said they would work on an approach and incorporate it into payroll and accounting practices.
