Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Seymour finance presentation: staffing reorganized, ADP costs fall as town shifts to online payroll access
Summary
Finance officials said the department is fully staffed and has reduced payroll costs by shifting employees to online pay-stub access, producing about a $7,000 decrease in ADP charges; the budget reflects step and union increases and a town 'floater' position to cover multiple offices.
Jay presented the finance department’s budget, describing current staffing and several operational changes the town says have reduced payroll processing costs.
Jay said the department now has a finance director, an accounting manager, a payroll and human-resources coordinator, and a junior accountant who is cross-trained to cover payroll. The budget includes a town floater who can work in the town clerk, assessor or tax collector’s offices to keep services running when staff are out.
To reduce processing and mailing costs, payroll staff and the finance director reached out to employees still receiving paper checks and pay stubs and encouraged online access. Jay said that change reduced ADP-related charges and produced about a $7,000 decrease in payroll processing costs. “ADP is our payroll provider ... so now we have a bunch that can just access it online,” Jay said.
The budget accounts for contract and step increases—2.5% to 2.75% increases on several lines—and a 5% union-related increase for the payroll coordinator’s step. Jay also described audit-related fees tied to submitting the audit report for an Excellence in Financial Reporting award, which carries roughly a $900 fee.
Board members asked whether switching to weekly pay would save ADP costs; presenters said moving to weekly pay would require union agreement. A board member asked whether the finance positions were newly created; Jay said they are existing budgeted positions with expanded responsibilities, not new headcount.
The board raised procedural questions about how step increases are scheduled; Jay said steps vary depending on an employee’s hire date and initial step placement under the union contract. Staff will return with any additional requested details during future workshops.
