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Council hears payroll-digitization proposal and debate over staff-time savings vs. up-front cost
Summary
Staff proposed payroll/timekeeping software at $4,776 annually plus $3,900 implementation; council estimated potential annual staff-time savings (roughly 100–200 hours) and asked staff to return with firm cost-benefit analysis at committee-of-the-whole before advancing to Council on Wednesday (COW/COW agenda).
Isanti City staff presented a digital payroll and HR workflow proposal at the goal-setting workshop, outlining expected costs and estimated staff-time savings and asking council whether to prioritize the item as a goal.
Staff described the proposed package: $4,776 per year in recurring costs and a one-time implementation fee of $3,900. They said the software would centralize disparate time-punch systems used by the liquor store, public works and police department, help automate leave and HR updates, and reduce manual data entry.
Council members and staff walked through time-saving estimates. The assistant finance director and department heads offered rough estimates: a typical payroll week could save “a couple hours,” complex payroll periods might save six to eight hours for payroll staff, and department-head review time was likely to fall as time punches and timesheets were standardized. Council aggregated several estimates and discussed annualized savings, landing on a working range of roughly 100–200 staff hours saved annually as an order-of-magnitude figure. Staff said exact savings will depend on implementation details and that the item would be placed on COW for a fuller cost-benefit presentation.
Council asked about security and checks-and-balances; staff said the proposal retains departmental approvals while providing a single repository for records and should improve accuracy and auditability. Members asked for a clearer example of workflow, additional documentation on expected savings and a formal recommendation before approval.
Staff will prepare a COW item with implementation details, a clearer estimate of staff-hour savings and a proposed funding plan tied to the FY budget process.
