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City staff spotlights ERP overhaul as top administrative priority
Summary
City administrative and finance directors told the ad hoc committee the current enterprise resource planning system is nearing end of life, staff will issue an RFP and pursue a consultant, and preliminary estimates show about $1,000,000 in software-related costs that could be reduced by a conversion.
City administrative and finance officials on Thursday urged the ad hoc committee to prioritize replacing the city’s enterprise resource planning, or ERP, system, saying the current software is reaching end of life and no longer meets internal or public-facing needs.
"This is not a new project," said Tim Cummings, director of administrative services. "Our current ERP system is coming to end of life. We are being forced to a conversation about upgrading, and that obviously necessitates whether it makes sense for us to do a conversion." Cummings said staff are planning an RFP and expect to bring a consultant on board to guide selection and implementation.
CFO Dawn Enright told the committee staff have been meeting with departments about the system’s limitations and are looking for improvements that will allow department heads, division directors and the public to access information more easily. "Those are some of the efficiencies that we are looking for," Enright said.
Cummings said staff have identified "something in the order of magnitude of about 1000000 dollars, could be more," in various software costs the city now pays because the existing ERP does not meet needs. He cautioned the conversion itself will have upfront costs and must be planned to avoid disruptive, rushed transitions before the system goes out of support around 2029–2030.
A committee member asked whether the city would face a choice of large upfront capital versus continued operational spending; Cummings replied staff need to start the procurement process sooner rather than later to ensure an orderly conversion and to reduce longer‑term operating costs. Enright added that improved public-facing interfaces — including potential online payment options — are among the service improvements officials hope an updated system will enable.
The presentation was high level: officials said they will return with detailed appropriation requests when specific vendor proposals and cost estimates are available. No formal action was taken Thursday beyond questions and answers.
The committee adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
