Staff Report #12
August 29, 2018
To All Commissioners
Re: 2018 Work Program – Finance – Second Quarter Update
Recommendation
The report be NOTED and FILED.
Background
The following report is provided as an update on major projects as set out in the 2018 Work Program that are ongoing in nature and were scheduled to commence and/or to be completed in the second quarter, with the lead on same being the primary responsibility of Finance.
Implementation of Youth Pass
Staff Report #4, dated April 25, 2018 outlined the program approved by Municipal Council for a $52 Youth Bus Pass for riders aged 13-17. The City will be subsidizing the pass on a sliding scale based on the number of passes sold per month. Work was completed with the Smart Card vendor to add the Youth pass to the system and as of August 15, 2018, the September Youth pass is available for sale at both LTC locations, eight City of London locations and also the LTC Smart Card web portal. As this is a pilot project, processes will be monitored and adjusted as required. At the time of report writing, 55 Youth passes have been issued.
Process Review Management (PRM’s)
Work began on the implementation of kilometer tracking and reporting via the AVL (or GPS) rather than hubometers (similar to an odometer). The goal is to have actual kilometer and fuel data tracked within the current inventory and fleet management system. System capabilities have been investigated and confirmed with the fleet system vendor and an interface is required from the upgraded AVL system. Given the other work that is ongoing with that implementation, work on the kilometer import has been slowed. Work will continue into the third and fourth quarters with the goal to begin reporting in 2019.
Time Tracker is the payroll hours reporting system in use for the Operations group (Operators, Ticket Clerks, Dispatchers & Inspectors). The system was developed specifically for LTC and went live in 2014. A series of enhancements were required within the first year of implementation to correct a few key development, integrity, and reporting deficiencies. When the initial enhancements were complete, the strategy was to let the system stabilize and modify applicable processes as further limitations or deficiencies were identified. The intention of the PRM is to review these manual processes put in place and determine whether further enhancements to improve the overall efficiency and integrity are warranted given a better understanding of the systems capabilities and limitations. Reviews will begin with Payroll and Operations in September to assess the current practices and identify any need for enhancement. Work on this project will continue into the fourth quarter depending on the outcome of the reviews and the ability of the software vendor to schedule the work.
Recommended by:
Mike Gregor, Director of Finance
Concurred in by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager