In today’s public sector environment, HR and Finance leaders are navigating increasing complexity: rising labor costs, looming retirements, and ever-tightening budgets. At the center of it all is one shared priority — making smart, sustainable compensation decisions.
But all too often, these two teams work in silos.
When HR and Finance aren’t aligned, compensation planning becomes reactive. Negotiations stall. Budget goals and talent goals pull in different directions. And opportunities to get ahead of workforce needs quietly slip away.
So how can agencies bridge that gap?
The Problem: Same Budget, Different Priorities
The Risks of Planning in Silos
A Better Way: Collaborative Labor Costing
Beyond Percentages: Rethinking Pay Practices
Best Practice: Build Alignment Early
TrueComp + CPS HR: Built for Cross-Functional Success
At TrueComp, we believe compensation strategy should be shared strategy. That’s why our platform is built to bring HR and Finance to the same table — with tools to visualize, forecast, and align on labor cost impacts in real time.
As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance our GASB delivery processes, we’ve made significant improvements in how we manage and deliver these reports to ensure that we meet all deadlines and provide the highest quality service.
To ensure we are fully aligned with your needs and timing expectations, we would like to gather your preferred timelines for the delivery of these reports.
Please take 1-2 minutes to respond to just a few questions at this link: GASB Report Survey
Module Updates: Benchmarking
We’re rolling out continuous updates to the Benchmarking module to make your experience faster, cleaner, and more intuitive. The new full-screen layout gives you more room to work, while enhancements like the “Reviewed” marker, Union/Group column, and Load/Hide Positions toggle help you manage your data with greater clarity and control.
And if you haven’t already, don’t miss the Market Summary Report—a powerful new way to view all your benchmarking data in one place.
We’d love your feedback as we continue to refine the experience. Let us know what you think by emailing us at ProductManagementTeam@truecomp.com!
Learning Lab
Thursdays at 12p CST
The TrueComp Learning Lab offers government analytics training, providing interactive sessions on using data-driven insights for better decision-making. During each 30-minute session, we will share actionable pro tips, answer any questions about your labor, compensation, pension and OPEB strategies, and highlight additional resources to support your agency's goals. Register here!
**Starting in July we will transition from a weekly meeting to the 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month!
June Topics:
June 5th – Financial Forecasting | Scenario Creation: Building a Better Baseline Scenario *Guest Presenter: Nick Brenner
June 12th– Pensions/OPEB | Creating Experience Scenarios *Guest Presenter: Jacob Putnam
June 19th – HOLIDAY
June 26th – Labor Costing | Demographic Filters and Reporting
Managing compensation is one of the most complex and critical responsibilities for public sector agencies today. With rising labor costs, high turnover, and increasing pressure to stay competitive in a tight labor market, government organizations are navigating a perfect storm. Traditional approaches — outdated spreadsheets, disconnected data systems, and reactive decision-making — are no longer enough to meet the moment.
In our latest eBook, The Public Sector Pay Puzzle: How Agencies Can Solve Compensation Challenges with Data-Driven Tools, we explore how cities, counties, and agencies across the country are modernizing their approach to workforce planning and compensation management.
Columbus Streamlines Labor Negotiations and Boosts Efficiency with Labor Costing Software
The City of Columbus, Ohio, had long relied on manual processes and spreadsheets for their labor negotiations. But, as inflation soared and wage compression became a growing issue, these traditional methods were no longer able to keep up with the city’s needs. Faced with mounting union pressures, tight budgets, and high turnover in budget staff, Columbus needed a more effective way to analyze labor costs and forecast the financial impact of workforce changes.
Chris Moses, Director of Human Resources for the City of Columbus, recalled the pain points that initially led the city to search for a more advanced solution. “We started about a year ahead of when we knew the contracts would be up. Gathering the information was a time-consuming process that relied heavily on manual data entry.”
A Push for Greater Efficiency and Transparency
As the city prepared for the 2023 labor negotiations, it became clear that they needed a more dynamic tool — one that could handle not just basic wage calculations but also detailed cost analysis across departments and funding sources. Columbus wanted a system that could offer greater transparency and give them the flexibility to model different negotiation scenarios in real-time.
Moses explained, “The ability to quickly model different wage proposals and see their financial impact in real-time was critical. We needed a solution that would not only save time but also give us the confidence to make informed decisions at the negotiation table.”
