Kenosha committee hears progress report on city's new ERP system; finance module live April 1

Program manager Clarence Clark told the Kenosha Finance Committee on April 6 that the city's new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is making steady progress and that the finance module went live April 1. "Technically, we went live April 1, but mainly that was just for finance," Clark said, adding that "as of today, all departments were entering it."

Clark reviewed an eight-phase rollout and said assessment data is set to go live in June, while enterprise permitting and licensing and HR/payroll are targeted for July. "The property data is used across the city in multiple ways," he said, calling the assessment and GIS data foundational for several later modules. Clark said utility billing and tax modules are scheduled later in the year, with municipal courts and enterprise asset management planned for October and an overall goal to complete all phases by November.

Committee members pressed on schedule and staffing. One member asked why July was chosen for permitting and licensing; Clark said the vendor (Tyler Technologies) typically implements financials first so the general ledger is stable before adding other modules and that the city's operational calendar was accounted for when setting dates. On staff time, Clark said it varies by position and that some staff may spend "more than 50% of their time on the program" during configuration periods.

Clark flagged data conversion and county property-data compatibility as primary risks. He said the county's recent change to a new property management system caused some breaks in data flows and the city is testing to ensure assessor and property updates feed correctly into the ERP. He also described several custom solutions under development for the city's bulk-waste process, stormwater and special assessments, and stressed the importance of accurate GIS data for asset-location features.

On benefits, Clark said the new system gives departments real-time visibility into purchase orders, invoices and payment status, reduces paper processes, and will provide resident and vendor portals for online payments and license/permit applications once the permitting and licensing modules are live. "We're automating manual processes, to reduce errors and increase efficiency," he said.

For the next 90 days Clark said staff adoption will be monitored, a user survey will identify additional training needs, data conversions will continue, and the city will finalize timelines with the vendor for custom solutions. He said the city maintains a network of departmental "change agents" who collect feedback and help with training and messaging.

The committee did not vote on the ERP program during the meeting; Clark's presentation was received and committee members asked follow-up questions about timing, staffing and data integrations. The meeting proceeded to other agenda items after the update.