To: Board of Supervisors
From: Auditor-Controller
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:title
Data Release Agreement with U.S. Bank National Association Regarding the Import of Automated Credit Card Transactional Dataend
RECOMMENDATION(S):Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve, and authorize the Humboldt County Auditor-Controller, or designee thereof, to execute, the attached Data Release Agreement with U.S. Bank National Association regarding the import of automated credit card transactional data; and
2. Direct the Clerk of the Board to provide the Auditor-Controller’s Office with one (1) fully executed, certified copy of the Board order related to this item.
Body
STRATEGIC PLAN:
The recommended actions support the following areas of the Board of Supervisors’ Strategic Plan:
Area of Focus: Workforce & Operational Excellence
Strategic Plan Category: 3001 - Support a well-trained workforce
DISCUSSION:
The Humboldt County Administrative Office - Purchasing and Disposition Team manages and distributes credit cards (“Cal Cards”) to select permanent, full-time County of Humboldt staff for small-dollar, urgent-need purchases. The County of Humboldt currently uses an in-house designed system to process transactions, which leverages Microsoft Excel and pushes the software to its limits.
In early 2024, a Microsoft update to the Excel software disabled a feature that the Cal Card system relied on. It took several days of troubleshooting to fix the issue this created. The Auditor-Controller’s Office determined that this system was a substantial weakness in the County of Humboldt’s payment environment and that a full failure of the system would have a high likelihood of delaying a payment and causing the County of Humboldt to incur late fees, service shutdowns and reputational harm.
Upon examining several options, it was determined that using the County of Humboldt’s enterprise resource planning software, Finance Enterprise, was the best option. The Auditor-Controller’s Office then researched how to implement the module and test its functionality. In testing, it was discovered that an automated import system would be the best option and would help to improve the timeliness of Cal Card payments. It also has substantial improvements in transparency and accountability by incorporating the documentation and the transaction directly into the County of Humboldt’s system of record instead of a separate file share and database.
Currently before the Board is a data release agreement with U.S. Bank National Association which authorizes the County of Humboldt to download the transactional data and import it into the County of Humboldt’s Enterprise Resource Planning software. This data release agreement has a high likelihood of significantly reducing the labor burdens of administering the Cal Card program.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
None
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There are no direct costs associated with the attached data release agreement with U.S. Bank National Association regarding the import of automated credit card transactional data. As a result, the recommended actions will not impact the Humboldt County General Fund.
STAFFING IMPACT:
Approval of the attached data release agreement with U.S. Bank National Association regarding the import of automated credit card transactional data will not impact current staffing levels.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board may choose not to approve the attached data release agreement with U.S. Bank National Association regarding the import of automated credit card transactional data. However, this alternative is not recommended as substantial operational and financial ramifications may occur if the current payment system fails.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Data Release Agreement with U.S. Bank National Association Regarding the Import of Automated Credit Card Transactional Data
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Meeting of: None
File No.: None