Computerized Maintenance Management Software to Help Local Municipalities

With numerous counties, municipalities, townships, cities, villages, towns, boroughs, school districts and special districts to be managed, the responsibilities of local governments and municipalities go way beyond our imagination. Simply put, local governments and municipalities have to manage and provide services that directly affect the health, safety and welfare of the people. They are responsible for city planning and zoning, economic development, tourism, tax collection, auditing, budget management and allotment, emergency medical needs, public works, construction and maintenance of city parks and common areas, health, recreational and social needs, utility services, and public transportation systems. They also manage departments such as fire, police, human resources and others.

Moreover, within each of these functions, there are numerous other functions to be managed. For instance, a closer look at the public works department shows a listing of responsibilities that often include tasks such as the construction and maintenance of streets; providing facilities for water supply, sewage, storm water, street cleaning, snow removal and waste disposal; street signs, vehicles, land, buildings and others. Coupling all of this with an ever-increasing population of constituents, makes managing the responsibilities of public welfare, security and safety effectively quite a challenge.

Local governments have to deal with a vast array of information, records, documentation and financial data. Any lack in effective means to manage the immense volume of information creates problems in meeting the reporting requirements of regulations like GASB 34.

GASB 34
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) issued Statement 34 to reorganize the information provided by local and state governments in annual reports in an attempt to make financial reporting easier to understand and use. Annual reports contain information about funds, and with the issuance of Statement 34, local governments and municipalities were required to include the original budget along with the revised budget, analysis of the government’s financial performance by the financial managers and so on.

And others too
Like GASB 34, there are several other regulations with all sorts of requirements. Therefore, local governments and municipalities have increased responsibilities of not only managing assets properly but also in maintaining, recovering and communicating information related to assets effectively, swiftly and seamlessly. This is quite a challenge; however, CMMS is one such solution that can take care of maintenance management challenges effectively. CMMS is computerized maintenance management software that helps in tracking the exact status of any diverse maintenance activities that are carried out. With CMMS, local governments and municipalities can not only document but also handle and communicate everyday activities swiftly and easily.