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Interim reporting does not exist, meaning that management <br />decisions must be made on old out-dated annual reports or <br />no information at all. This problem is made worse by the <br />time required to respond to requests for information when <br />that information must be updated or created on a case by <br />case basis. <br /> <br />The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is prepared to <br />the highest standards of reporting but at the expense of <br />considerable personal effort to create information once a <br />year which should be available continually throughout the <br />year. <br /> <br />Accounts receivables are billed infrequently and staff <br />follow-up on collections receives a low priority in <br />relation to other essential tasks. <br /> <br />Until a recent loss in staff, utility billing was being <br />automated to provide greater controls and efficiencies. <br />In addition, information for the utility billing system <br />must be reconciled with volumes of water used and number <br />of service connections. Considerable one-on-one follow-up <br />is also required to confirm broken meters, meters that <br />have been improperly installed, multiple billings, no <br />billings, bogus meter readings, etc. As the numbers of <br />customers increase the demands of this task will likewise <br />grow. <br /> <br />Other areas of concern in the financial management of the <br />utility are the frequent need to review rates and assure <br />adequate return on investment to operate the Utilities. <br />Time constraints again limit the ability of this <br />department to respond to these critical needs. <br /> <br />Payrolls are being met and processed on a timely basis. <br />However, complete records of time are not available to <br />meet the Wage and Hour laws nor the internal needs to <br />evaluate jobs or bill for time spent for private parties. <br /> <br />The fixed assets (things the City owns) are accounted for, <br />but there is no time for periodic inventories to confirm <br />this information. <br /> <br />No time is available to provide forecasts, analysis of <br />financial or statistical activity, proper training, plan <br />for more efficient accounting systems, oversee the risk <br />management activities of the City, create the Five Year <br />Plan required by the Charter, or create a functional <br />Capital Improvement Budget. <br /> <br />The workload in this department has resulted in the loss <br />of key personnel and continues to be overwhelming. The <br />recent rapid turn-over of temporary part-time personnel <br />has also highlighted the lack of continuity which results <br /> <br />Staffing Report May 1988 Page 10 <br /> <br /> <br />