https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Administration


Tracking staff benefits

Tracking staff benefits

Project: Pension administration system Jurisdiction: Kansas Agency: Public Employees Retirement System Vendor: Roseville, Minn.-based Sagitec Solutions
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st August 2007

Project: Pension administration system

Jurisdiction: Kansas

Agency: Public Employees Retirement System

Vendor: Roseville, Minn.-based Sagitec Solutions

Date core system completed: January 2007

Total system cost: $8 million

When an agency is responsible for the retirement benefit records of nearly 800,000 current and former state and local government employees, it cannot depend on a 40-year-old computer system to manage that information. That was one of John Oliver’s first discoveries when he became CIO for the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) in 2001. “The original system had its origins in KPERS’s origins in 1962. It had been revised and modified over the years, but it was basically very out of date,” he says. “We get a lot of calls from members, and looking up information took an inordinate amount of time.”

The agency needed a new system that would more efficiently manage employee and retiree pension benefits, including tracking employee contributions and calculating monthly benefit payments for retirees. In fall 2004, KPERS contracted with Roseville, Minn.-based Sagitec Solutions to implement a Web-based pension administration system, including pulling data from the old system into a new database.

By January 2007, the core Web-based system was active. It connects to the state’s accounting system to disburse pension benefits, and it is linked to a document management system so paper documents that have been scanned and saved electronically can be viewed along with employee records.

The 1,500 active employers — including the state, all school districts, many police and fire departments, and many cities and counties — that previously had to report beneficiary changes or reconcile employee contributions using paper forms or spreadsheets, now can send the information directly to the KPERS database through an interactive Web portal. Soon, KPERS members will be able to access the information through the Web, but for now, they can call KPERS, and staff typically can find the answers to their questions immediately. “A large percentage are handled on that first contact,” Oliver says.

KPERS now has a system that can adapt easily to new employee benefits rules passed periodically by the state legislature. This year, for example, the state approved a new pension plan with different vesting and contribution rules for employees hired after July 1, 2009. As a result, KPERS will need to adjust its benefits calculations for new employees. Oliver expects that change to be much more manageable with the new software. “We’re going to be able to implement that at a comparatively low cost and with very few changes to the system because of its flexibility,” he says.

Tags: Administration Economy

Related


  • How Philadelphia is aiming for zero waste
    The city of Philadelphia has long collected data on city properties’ waste generation and leveraged it to improve waste management, but now it’s honing in on the commercial sector too, realizing this will be crucial to hitting Philly’s zero waste targets. Today it runs a voluntary program where both municipal and commercial operations do detailed […]
  • Minneapolis cuts millions from police budget
    The Minneapolis City Council approved a budget that will move $8 million in police department funding to mental health and violence prevention programs. The plan was unanimously approved on Dec. 10, according to The Washington Post. “Thanks and congratulations to everyone who advocated for these important investments to make our city safer and more just,” […]
  • Cleveland launches program to create circular rconomy
    The City of Cleveland and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress announced the launch of Circular Cleveland, a two-year initiative to develop and implement circular economy strategies and programs in Cleveland. Inspired by similar models in cities around the world, the circular economy is a comprehensive approach to provide community-wide benefits by designing waste and pollution out of our economic system, keeping […]
  • Revenue realities for state and local governments in the time of Coronavirus
    The number of citizens a governmental entity is able to serve directly correlates with revenues collected. The economic impact of COVID-19 on state and local government revenue sources may end up being a much more prolonged issue than originally expected. The first revenue impact to state and local governments was, and continues to be, related […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Will digital transformation of city procurement hold up beyond the pandemic?
  • Colorado county’s value-based health care strategy produces savings
  • The 21 neediest American cities in 2021
  • Shared governance: How pandemic partnerships can lead to progress and offer promise

White papers


How a unified HR system helps one public safety organization manage crews, payroll, and more in a single platform

7th January 2021

Your Roadmap to COVID-19 Funding

18th December 2020

The One Where Everyone Wins: A Mutually Beneficial Contracting Method

10th December 2020
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The latest episode The Young Leaders Podcast focuses on Cyril Jefferson. Cyril is the youngest African American to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Hillsboro, Oregon is pioneering a new #renewableenergy generation technology through a partnership with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

The impact of the #COVID19 pandemic on #telework was swift and profound. Now, the big question is whether – and to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Get ready for the can't-miss webinar on how to kickstart your efficiency improvement plan with Luke Anderson of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Among all states headed into the 2020 general election, which ones have voting populations that are the most demogr… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in our readership survey to help us shape future content so that we c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

See how cities different approaches to distribute masks in their communities >> spr.ly/6010GAPLa

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

While #facialrecognition is a powerful tool that can improve law enforcement efficiency, that doesn’t necessarily t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X