City of San Francisco quietly rolls out massive new financial system

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The City of San Francisco quietly rolled out a massive new financial system to replace an aging program, but there's mixed opinions on whether it's making things better or worse.

San Francisco city controller Ben Rosenfield launched the city's new financial system July 1st.

"We've been pleased with the results, but there are of course bumps in any implementation like this," Rosenfield said.

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It replaces a two-decade old system which all city departments used for requisitions, purchasing and other financial transactions.

Rosenfield says most of the city's 6,000 users have gone through online training and there are support teams to help navigate the complicated system.

"We're getting about 300 help desk tickets a day," Rosenfield said.

He says that's about normal for a massive new program like this.

But, workers in some city agencies are apparently having trouble making purchases, saying they need more training.

The city's aging fleet of police cars is breaking down more frequently and to make matters worse, there's a shortage of new cars to replace them.

Many are at the city's central repair shop, where they are towed for maintenance and repairs.

Police union president Marty Halloran is concerned that issues with the new financial system may exacerbate the existing problem.

"We have upwards of 50 cars that are sitting at central shop. Some are waiting for parts and until these parts can be ordered, these cars are going to sit there idle," Rosenfield said.

Rosenfield is confident that with more hands on experience, city workers will become more comfortable with the new system.