Budget committee approves $300,000 Guidehouse contract to expand Workday HR and payroll functions

City staff told the Budget & Finance Committee that a contract with Guidehouse Incorporated will fund Workday implementation work to consolidate recruiting, learning management and payroll functions and integrate a new police scheduling system into the city’s payroll.

"The total cost of this is about $300,000," the presenting staff member said, adding that the amount is a one‑time expense and that the implementation work is expected to occur during 2026. Staff said some of the work will be covered under ARPA and that separate annual post‑production support hours with Guidehouse will remain to handle troubleshooting.

Committee members asked for a business-case summary and savings estimates. Councilwoman Linda Amobian questioned the timeline and whether the cost covered several months of consultant work or multiple years; staff said the implementation will take several months and the city already maintains a set of post‑production hours for ongoing support. Members also asked about contract termination or penalties with NeoGov; staff said NeoGov is renewed annually and transitioning should not present an early-termination penalty beyond the next renewal.

The committee placed the ordinance on the consent agenda, a motion for consent was moved and seconded, and members voted in favor; the ordinance was approved on the consent agenda. Staff said the work is intended to reduce the number of separate applications the city uses and to produce longer‑term efficiencies in payroll, recruiting and learning management.

Next steps: the city will proceed with Guidehouse hours for implementation and retain separate post‑production support arrangements; ARPA reporting and implementation updates will continue through 2026 and into early 2027 as required.