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Carmel controller proposes $2 million ERP implementation fund to modernize city finance and HR systems
Summary
City Controller Zach Jackson presented Project Cornerstone, a proposal to implement Workday with an estimated $1.879 million implementation contract and multi‑year licensing; he asked the council to create a nonreverting ERP implementation fund and transfer $2 million for implementation costs, and the council referred the plan back to finance for detailed vetting.
City Controller and CFO Zach Jackson told the council on June 15 that the city has selected Workday (via the Omnia cooperative and reseller Iron Brick) as the preferred ERP and is seeking to modernize payroll, procurement, financials and HR systems. Jackson described two cost groups: implementation (~$1,879,000 in the vendor proposal) and ongoing licensing/training, and he requested a $2,000,000 transfer from the general fund into a new nonreverting ERP implementation fund to cover implementation costs and conversion activities.
Jackson explained the funding plan: the city would ask utilities to contribute roughly $350,000 as their fair share and would look for ways to track implementation costs separately in a designated fund so operating budgets are not distorted. He estimated that paying both old and new system licenses during the transition would raise costs for 2026–27 but forecast an ongoing net increase of roughly $32,000–$33,000 per year compared with current contracts after the transition.
Councilors pressed for more procurement detail, prior vendor comparisons and financing alternatives; Jackson said the city evaluated Oracle offerings, Munis, and other options and that some lower‑cost proposals shifted more implementation work onto city staff. Council members agreed to send the matter back to the finance committee for additional review, and asked for clearer sunsetting language for the nonreverting fund and more detail on which departmental costs will decrease once the migration is complete.
Next steps: the measure will return to finance for deeper vetting, contract approval will proceed through the Board of Public Works if recommended, and staff said a targeted 'go‑live' date next summer remains the objective if the procurement and implementation schedule stay on track.
