LMR April 2021

Feature
Turning Trials into Triumphs, Part II
Last month, we launched this recurring series in which we
share stories about overcoming the challenges presented
by COVID-19 and other disasters. We conclude our staff
narratives this month by spotlighting the good work of our
subsidiaries, RMI and LaMATS. We would love to hear your
stories of triumph, so please share those with us, including
photographs if possible.
LaMATS COVID Pivot
In recent years, LaMATS
has developed and
deployed key on-line
systems that improve
the efficiency of
collecting insurance
premium taxes (IPT), delinquent utility debt, and provide
for electronic procurement. These web-based portals
and platforms proved to be critical as the staff faced the
dynamic work environment brought about by the virus. The
215 municipalities that rely on LaMATS for collecting and
processing their taxes ($24+M last year), did not experience
any delays in receiving this critical source of revenue.
LaMATS launched its Purchasing Services division (LPS) in
2018 to provide more and better-priced options to meet
municipalities’ procurement needs. They had two years before
the pandemic took hold to connect with vendors and develop
contracts and protocols—this proved pivotal when demand
suddenly went through the roof.
The LaMATS team heard
first from their own Board
members, as Louisiana local
governments began to
appreciate the scope of the
coming crisis. The mayors,
councilpersons and clerks
who direct LaMATS’ work
saw the problems firsthand and knew that they could meet
the unprecedented statewide needs for Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, custom signage and
other specialty items that were getting harder to find by the
day.
LaMATS was on it. Even though the staff was also constrained
by remote work and safety protocols, they quickly developed
a new online shopping portal to make products and services
more accessible. Additionally, they pursued new contracts
with PPE vendors and others (even as prices fluctuated daily),
collected and warehoused the shipped items and often drove
them to communities in need.
LaMATS Board President and LMA’s Second Vice President,
Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, commended the efforts of the LaMATS
team. “They really put the hours in to research the best prices
and fastest delivery options for us when things were almost
getting out of hand,” she said. “We are all grateful for their
work and willingness to literally go the extra mile to serve!”
With new online tools and a pipeline of contracts now in
place, the pandemic has actually improved much of LaMATS’
process by streamlining the work and expanding their reach.
They would never ask for a repeat of this (or any) crisis, but a
silver lining is always welcome!
RMI Faces Pandemic Issues Head-On
In the past, Jerry Cronin
(then General Manager,
now General Manager
Emeritus) and the RMI
team had to respond to
short-term interruptions
due to weather, but the
solutions to those circumstances in no way compared to the
potential long-term issues brought on by the pandemic.
Not only did RMI have to implement procedures necessary to
carry out their legal requirements, but they were required to
consider and take additional steps to protect the health of our
employees.
The ability to work from remote locations was available on
a very limited basis, so the need to expand that capability
had to be resolved quickly. Because of the functionality of
our workspace, employees were able to socially distance, but
an immediate survey of personnel revealed that numerous
employees serving in the most critical roles had issues with
heightened risk because of underlying medical issues and/
or presence within their household of persons with high-risk
issues. This challenge was met thanks to the rapid response
of our IT team, who quickly implemented remote access
protocols so that critical daily functions could effectively
continue with minimum interruption.
Some RMI operations could be carried out remotely, so the
RMI team collaborated to establish a schedule for physical
office presence that accommodated each task timely while
preserving employee safety.
To further safeguard employees, RMI established a strict
mitigation protocol that captured all recommended safety
measures such as directing that any employee feeling ill not
report to work; providing materials to wipe down the work
areas, hand sanitizers, and masks; taking each employee’s
temperature upon arriving at work; closing break areas
and allowing food consumption in individual work areas;
implementing quarantine requirements on anyone who
had been exposed to the virus; and mandating negative test
results before return, if appropriate This successful strategy
LMR | APRIL 2021 Page 15