(TNS) -- SANTA FE The state Department of Information Technology says it has finished a major upgrade to New Mexicos electronic payroll system.

The project is aimed at improving security and making it easier to complete a variety of human resources-related tasks, which will save money, the state said.

One phase of work was completed this spring, and more improvements are scheduled to be completed by the fall.

State officials will have more robust information with which to make decisions, taxpayers will have greater data transparency, and state workers will have a modern system that better meets their needs and those of the people they serve, said Darryl Ackley, the Cabinet secretary for information technology.

The total project is expected to cost $19.7 million. Work started about 18 months ago.

IN THE RUNNING: Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver will seek re-election next year to what would be her first four-year term in the office that oversees New Mexico elections.

Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, won election last year to serve out the rest of the term of Dianna Duran a Republican who resigned in 2015 and pleaded guilty to misusing her campaign donations.

I look forward to serving a full term for the people of New Mexico, Toulouse Oliver said in written statement, so that we can continue to combat dark money in politics, raise the bar for transparency and accountability in government and cement our sacred voting rights for every eligible citizen.

Toulouse Oliver is a former Bernalillo County clerk. She now lives in Santa Fe.

PENSIONS: The legislative committee that oversees investments and pensions heard new presentations Tuesday on the financial condition of New Mexicos underfunded pension programs.

Sen. George Muoz, D-Gallup, urged the executives in charge of the public employee and teacher pension programs to study the possibility of reducing the cost-of-living increases that retirees get. The goal, he said, would be to come up with projections showing how much any proposed reduction in benefits would actually help the pension fund overall.

2017 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Read this article:

New Mexico Department of Information Technology Finishes One Phase of Payroll System Upgrades - Government Technology