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Committee debates ABR to cover KPPA staff costs during IT modernization
Summary
Trustees and staff discussed whether to request an additional budget request (ABR) to cover KPPA personnel costs tied to a planned IT modernization. Options ranged from $500,000 to $1,000,000; the committee expressed a tentative preference for $750,000 but requested clearer justification before finalizing an ABR.
Trustees discussed whether KPPA should seek an additional budget request to cover internal personnel costs anticipated during an upcoming IT modernization and system replacement.
Mike Lamb explained that the capital planning request covers external vendor costs but does not include KPPA staff time: "It does not cover our personnel costs, related to that project." He said internal employees will perform implementation work that will need backfill either through overtime or by reaching the employee-cap, and that those costs are difficult to estimate without better historical comparators.
Staff described the modernization timeline: an external vendor will perform a 6–8 month assessment and prioritize projects, while KPPA staff have already condensed preparatory work into earlier months. Rebecca said internal test automation and employer self-service changes are among the projects that will increase staff workload during the implementation phase.
Trustees proposed a range of contingency ABR amounts. A trustee suggested a straw-man approach of $500,000 in early years and $1,000,000 at peak; others said $1,000,000 felt large and recommended a compromise near $750,000 if staff could support it with calculations. Mister Chilton cautioned that requesting ABR authority too early could require a second request later if the figure proves insufficient.
The committee did not adopt a formal ABR amount at the meeting; staff will prepare more detailed cost support to inform any ABR submission to the state budget office.
