PERIOD REPORT
DATE: January 5, 2016 Report No. FIN-16-001
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Ian Irvine, Director of Financial Services
SUBJECT:TITLE Financial Services and IT - 2015 Third Period ReportBody
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Financial Services and IT Departments from September 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Budgeting, Financial Reporting and Accounting Operations
• In preparation for the 2016-2020 Financial Plan, initial capital and operating budget submissions have been received from all departments and are being consolidated prior to review by Council.
• An upgrade to the Township’s existing financial system was completed. This update will allow for improvements to transaction processing, analysis and reporting. As well, it will provide additional functionality for both the Payroll and Human Resource departments.
• Negotiated a new agreement with KPMG as the Township’s auditors. This five year agreement will result in approximate total savings of $31,000. The year end requirements, reconciliations and analyses are being completed in preparation for the annual audit scheduled for March 2016. Interim audit work was completed in November.
• Year end physical inventory counts for Public Works and Parks & Recreation Departments have been completed.
• A Request for Proposals has been issued for the acquisition of budgeting software which will replace the existing system and provide improved reporting for the analysis of budget variances throughout the fiscal year.
• Timelines and deadlines for the completion of the 2015 Annual Report have been established.
2. Property Taxes
• Outstanding property tax reminder notices were mailed in November.
• As of December 31, approximately 96% of the property tax levy has been collected.
• All delinquent property taxes were collected prior to the September deadline and therefore no tax sale auction was required.
• The amount received from Public Works and Government Services Canada for Payment in Lieu of Taxes during 2015 was consistent with the amount applied for by the Township. As a result, no appeal of the 2015 PILT payment will be required.
• Discussions continue with Public Works & Government Services Canada in an attempt to resolve the 2014 outstanding PILT dispute. These discussions have been positive and the Township remains hopeful that a resolution can be reached during the first period of 2016.
3. Risk Management
• There are no new significant or unusual liability claims with the Municipal Insurance Association.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
1. Administration/Operations
• Worked with Corporate Services to select Upanup as the developer for the public website migration and refresh. Initiated phase one which is due for completion in the first period of 2016.
• Ran three training sessions on how to use The Bridge, the Township’s Intranet website.
2. Improvements
• Replaced the Municipal Hall door security system. The new system is very stable, easier to program, and expandable to allow for video surveillance as well as expansion to other municipal sites.
• Installed an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) bypass module in the Municipal Hall server room. The UPS was a potential single point of failure for keeping the computer and phone systems running. Now, if the UPS suffers a catastrophic failure, or needs to be replaced, the bypass unit allows power to continue to be delivered to all critical systems.
• Replaced the projector in Council Chamber for large group training. The new projector is brighter and allows for widescreen presentations.
3. Maintenance
• Upgraded the phone system to the latest version. The new version supports an iPhone app for remote phone extensions as well as web conferencing for up to 25 users.
II. COMMITTEES
The Local Grant Committee met in September to review applications for 2016 Permissive Tax Exemptions relating to Not for Profit Organizations. Council approved the Committee’s recommendations and the bylaw was adopted in October.