“Since implementing Euna Budget, staff now spends less time on entering budgets and more on analyzing them.”
— Marc Traasdahl, Director of Finance, RTC
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) plays a vital role in managing transportation needs across the Southern Nevada region, overseeing public transportation, traffic management, roadway design, and transportation planning. As the Las Vegas Valley continues to experience rapid population growth, the RTC faces increasing challenges in managing traffic congestion while promoting sustainability, air quality improvement, and enhanced mobility in the region.
Needs
With a budget of approximately $900 million across 48 departments, the RTC’s previous process of creating budgets through individual spreadsheets was inefficient and error-prone. Each department managed its own budget separately, making it difficult to consolidate data and maintain consistency. The RTC needed a budgeting solution that would simplify this process, eliminate redundant spreadsheets, and integrate seamlessly with its financial system, MS Govern.
The RTC selected Euna Budget Professional, implementing the Operating, Capital, and Personnel Budgeting modules to automate and streamline their budgeting process.
Challenges
In 2016, RTC managed its $900 million budget using a decentralized system of Excel spreadsheets. Each department entered its budget separately, then forwarded the information to the Finance team, where the data was consolidated manually. This process was not only time-consuming but also prone to errors due to the lack of standardization and business rules across departments.
Additionally, retrieving historical data was cumbersome. If management wanted to review actuals from previous years, it could take weeks or even months to manually pull data from the general ledger. The RTC needed a more user-friendly, integrated system that would provide accurate and timely budget data down to the vendor level.
Solution
Marc Traasdahl, RTC’s Director of Finance, discovered Euna Budget Professional at the American Public Transportation Association’s Conference. After learning about its ability to provide detailed historical data at the vendor level, the RTC decided to use Euna Budget Professional to automate its budgeting process.
With Euna Budget Professional, RTC now has a centralized solution that reduces the time spent on data entry and allows staff to focus on higher-value tasks like data analysis and strategic planning.
Benefits
User-Friendly Interface
Euna Budget Professional’s intuitive cloud platform is easy to learn and use. Its familiar spreadsheet-like layout allows departments to quickly adopt the system with minimal training. Each department now has the tools to plan, measure, and manage its own budgets more effectively.
Quick Implementation
The implementation and training process for Euna Budget Professional at RTC was smooth and efficient. Robert Leavitt, RTC’s Project Manager, shared his satisfaction with the experience:
“Euna Budget’s staff was very knowledgeable and responsive to our needs. We are very happy with the solution and would recommend it to others.”
— Robert Leavitt, Project Manager, RTC
His praise underscores the ease of transition and support provided by the Euna Budget team, ensuring that RTC staff could quickly understand and use the system.
Integration with MS Govern
Euna Budget Professional integrates seamlessly with RTC’s financial system, MS Govern, allowing real-time data updates. Staff no longer need to manage multiple spreadsheets, and nightly synchronization between Euna Budget Professional and MS Govern ensures that managers always have access to the most up-to-date financial information.
Robust Reporting Capabilities
With over 100 standard reports and customizable ad-hoc reporting features, Euna Budget Professional enables RTC to generate detailed reports quickly. Reports can be created for departments, accounts, and vendors, providing management with a real-time snapshot of budget status.
Accurate Data and Time Savings
By eliminating the need to maintain data in separate spreadsheets, Euna Budget Professional ensures that all information is centralized and accurate. Any changes made in the system are automatically updated across all areas, significantly reducing the time required to manage budgets. Previously, it could take up to a month to retrieve historical data; now, staff can access this information in minutes, allowing them to focus on analyzing budgets for cost-saving opportunities.
Personnel Budgeting Module
Managing salaries and benefits for RTC’s 340 employees is a critical component of the budgeting process. Euna Budget Professional’s Personnel Budgeting module enables RTC to accurately model and forecast all costs associated with employee positions, pay scales, benefits, and more. With seamless integration between RTC’s Finance and Human Resource departments, budgeting for salaries and benefits is now more efficient and transparent.
“Finally, the Finance and HR departments are on the same page.”
— Marc Traasdahl, Director of Finance, RTC
This enhanced collaboration has streamlined the management of personnel costs, ensuring more accurate forecasting and better alignment between departments.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada has significantly improved its budgeting process by implementing Euna Budget Professional. With real-time data access, robust reporting capabilities, and seamless integration with their financial system, RTC has reduced manual data entry and increased focus on analyzing and optimizing their budget. The system has provided more accurate financial data, saved time, and empowered departments to take ownership of their budgets.
“Staff used to spend so much time working on spreadsheets instead of analyzing the budget. Now, with Euna Budget, we can gather the information we need in minutes.”
— Marc Traasdahl, Director of Finance, RTC
Want to Improve Budget Accuracy and Efficiency?
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada reduced manual processes, improved data accuracy, and saved valuable time by implementing Euna Budget Professional. If your organization is ready for a more user-friendly and integrated budgeting solution, request a demo today to see how Euna Budget Professional can help you achieve your financial goals.