Chief Watson reports department transition progress and payroll problems with ADP

Chief Watson told the commission that state transfers for officers (ORI and municipal police officers association) are complete and that records management system work should finish within the next week after a vendor update. He said four vehicles will be striped Thursday and three more on the 17th; patches are being completed and badges have been preliminarily ordered. The department has deployed QuickBooks to track financials and pay bills.

Watson said payroll setup with ADP has been frustrating and remains unresolved despite repeated contact: "This should have been simple. Its unacceptable. Can’t get a straight answer on why this is taking so long." He said staff are considering reaching out to other payroll vendors. President Hanes also told members the commission had held three recent executive sessions (two for union contracts and one for the chief’s departure) and that another brief executive session would be needed to discuss personnel next steps.

The update outlines operational readiness items and outstanding vendor and payroll problems; no definitive timeline for resolving payroll was provided in the transcript.