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Council presses city for clearer financial reports and a running-dashboard view
Summary
Council members asked for more transparent financial reporting and a running year-to-date total; City Manager Greer said the city is implementing new financial software and will follow up with the finance director and the council about dashboard timelines and formats.
Council members pressed staff during the manager's report for clearer financial statements and a format that shows running month-to-month totals and year-to-date variances. A councilor asked for a table-style, running total view so members and residents can more easily see trends and identify variances from budget.
City Manager Greer said the city is implementing new financial software that should give the council more dashboard-style access and offered to follow up with the finance director and report back to the council with an implementation timeline and a new round of feedback. Greer said staff expects the software to roll out in approximately 60 days and that a later dashboard could let council members directly access more detailed data.
Council discussion emphasized the need to compare actual receipts and expenditures against the approved budget (not only prior-year comparisons) so the council can identify variances that signal concern. Staff agreed to an offline workshop with the finance director and to report the implementation timeline to the full council.
