Council questions Unicorn payroll renewal after years of implementation issues
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Summary
The IT director recommended renewing the Unicorn HRO payroll and HR software for 12 months to maintain payroll continuity while staff compile a report on lingering implementation issues raised by employees. Council asked for clarification on time‑stamp rules and employee experiences before voting.
Noble Varghese, director of information technology, presented agenda item 10.23 seeking authorization to continue the city’s annual license and support services for Unicorn HRO LLC for the payroll and HR system. Varghese said the software went live around 2022–2023, earlier implementation problems have been addressed and uptime is roughly 98 percent; the department recommended a 12-month renewal while staff complete follow-up work.
Several council members said they had received employee complaints about time‑stamp rounding and other payroll issues. Councilperson Efros asked for a short report detailing the outstanding implementation problems and the solutions the city has obtained; Varghese agreed to compile a report over the next quarter and to provide preliminary clarification before the council votes. City staff explained Unicorn’s rounding rules for hourly employees (a brief grace period followed by a quarter-hour rounding on the clock), and said salaried employees are not affected.
Council also asked whether alternative payroll vendors and modules (apps for employees to see PTO and benefits) had been considered; staff said additional modules are available at extra cost and that the city can explore other vendors in the future. The caucus transcript records discussion and a promise of a staff memo but not the final vote.
