Adman and Finance Committee Meeting - 2025-11-18
Adman and Finance Committee Meeting - 2025-11-18
The Adman and Finance Committee convened on November 18, 2025, to review and recommend three fiscal proposals for transfer of funds and additional appropriations. The meeting focused on year-end budget realignments to support departmental operations, covering rising litigation costs for the Office of Corporation Counsel and significant technology modernization initiatives requested by the Information Systems Agency (ISA). No public comments were offered during the session.
Consent Calendar
- Proposal 328: Requested unanimously to transfer funds from Character 1 to Character 3 to allow agencies to meet commitments and maintain services through the end of the fiscal year before the 2026 cycle begins. This transfer involves no new local dollars.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public members spoke during the proceedings. The chair explicitly asked for public comment but noted none were received before moving to the next motion.
Discussion Items
- Proposal 329 (Office of Corporation Counsel): Deputy Controller Jake McVay presented a request to transfer Character 1 underspend to Character 3, specifically earmarked for litigation-related costs.
- Project Context: McVay noted a nationwide uptick in law enforcement cases since 2020, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in potential liability. The city hires local experts to defend these cases and utilize conflict counsel for officers sued in their official capacity to ensure ethical representation.
- Cost Drivers: The speaker highlighted increasing costs for expert witness fees (significantly higher since 2023), trial transcripts, and deposition services. Additionally, the city retains outside labor attorneys for collective bargaining cycles and collections attorneys for workers' comp.
- Statistical Detail: Councilor Nelson raised a discrepancy regarding the appropriation amount in the text versus the digits of the proposal (noting a difference between $740,000 and $838,000), which the presenter acknowledged needed verification. McVay estimated that 10 to 12 law firms routinely assist with these cases, including Frost Brown Todd for law enforcement matters.
- Proposal 330 (Information Systems Agency - ISA): Representative presented a request for over $4.8 million in total additional appropriations, consisting of approximately $515,000 from the Enhanced Access Fund and $4.3 million from the County General Fund.
- Property Tax Vendor: The majority of the funding addresses the replacement of a 13-14 year old property tax vendor with a new vendor, EXOFT, following a competitive RFP process involving multiple county offices.
- Address and Parcel Modernization: A $500,000 allocation was detailed for updating the city's Esri GIS systems, specifically the parcel fabric and address data management, to improve accuracy for street routing and emergency response systems.
- Indigo Blue Line Infrastructure: $380,000 was requested to pay contractors for moving city fiber optics to accommodate the construction of the Indigo Blue Line without disrupting the existing network.
- Enhanced Access Fund Initiatives: Four specific projects were detailed for $400,000 total ($150k for Dot Maps, $125k for DocuSign, $125k for OpenGov).
- Dot Maps: Enhancements to allow a new interface where residents can view permits in specific geographic areas.
- DocuSign: Implementation to replace the aging "Screen Door" form application, aiming for 99% accessibility compliance by the April deadline.
- OpenGov: Expansion from procurement to the contracting phase, allowing vendors to submit RFQs and view contracts via a searchable public portal.
- Preservica: Transition from the aging File Net system to a cloud-enabled document retention system capable of perpetual storage (e.g., 75 years for payroll records) and public archive accessibility.
Key Outcomes
- Proposal 328: Approved and recommended to the full council with a "due pass" recommendation; voted unanimously (Aye).
- Proposal 329: Approved and recommended to the full council; voted unanimously (Aye).
- Proposal 330: Approved and recommended to the full council; voted unanimously (Aye).
- Future Steps: The committee moved to adjourn with all three proposals passed for full council consideration.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Welcome to the Adman and Finance Committee meeting. I'd like to start with introductions to my left. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mike Dilk, District 24. Thank you, Mr. Chairman Paul and A, District 22. If you were right. Thank you, Mr. Chair Renee Allen, District 15. Thank you, Mr. Chair Nick Roberts, district four. Thank you, Chairman Andy Nielsen, District 14. Good evening, Chairman Mascary, Krista Carlino, District 11, West Side. Good evening, Maggie Lewis. Frank Mascarry, District 19. And I thought it was Mrs. Mrs. Wells now. Officially, yes. Name changes take time. Well, welcome to our newly wed. We have three things on our agenda. Are you presenting all three? Just the first proposal 328. Okay, you're you're you're on the hot seat. You're up. Proposal 328. Good evening. My name is Jake McVay, Deputy Controller in the Office of Finance and Management. I'm presenting proposal 328. This is the year end omnibus fiscal. Similar to previous years, this fiscal transfers budget between characters, and the only additional appropriation is for grant awards. These transfers are required to allow agencies and departments to fulfill their commitments and maintain their services until the next fiscal year. Coming to the end of the year, agencies and departments may need to realign their budget from how we originally built it 18 months ago. So this fiscal does not add any new local dollars to the budget. Excuse me. So the budget is aligned with the agency's operational needs before we enter into the 2026 fiscal year. These transfers may be needed for a variety of reasons. The most common action here is to transfer funds from character one to three for additional contractual expenditures and services. And with that, that's the end of my slides. Anyone uh on the council have any questions? Seeing none. Anyone from the audience have any questions? Mr. Chairman, I move uh proposal number three twenty-eight to the full council with a due pass recommendation. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor say aye. Aye.
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