Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Low Associates to upgrade Porter County's antiquated accounting system

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By JEFF SCHULTZ

The DOS system which the County has had in place for its payroll and financials since 1991 will undergo about a year-long transition to a Windows system operated by Low Associates of South Bend.

At their meeting Tuesday, the Porter County Commissioners unanimously accepted County Auditor Vicki Urbanik and the project committee’s recommendation for Low Associates and to purchase the software at less than $160,000.

The total purchase will be about $57,000 more for training employees on the software and converting the data into the new system. That includes a $6,000 consultant contract for Former County IT Director Sharon Lippens who will assist with the conversion.

The new system, which is expected to go live sometime next spring, will give all departments in the County the ability to monitor their spending and what their budgets are doing.

“We know it’s a major investment that will have many positive impacts for many, many years to come,” Urbanik said. “This is not a short-term upgrade.”

The bulk of the installation will be paid for out of the auditor’s non-reverting fund that has recovered revenues from improperly received homestead deductions. With the non-reverting fund, Urbanik said the system can be paid for without hitting the County’s General Fund too hard.

Urbanik said she feels the non-reverting fund should be used for special purposes and not ongoing operating costs. “I can think of no other better project at this time than to upgrade our software.”

Commissioner Jeff Good, R-Center said although the cost is large, this will be coming off of an old DOS based system.

“I think it’s time. It’s way past time,” Good said. “This is a big huge upgrade to everybody. It’s well overdue.”

Low Associates also developed the tax software for the County Assessor’s Office and works in some capacity with 57 percent of Indiana counties. “We know their professionalism. We know their response for technical service,” Urbanik said.

The Committee was made of up department heads in the County Human Resource Department, IT Dept., the Treasurer’s and the Auditor’s offices.

Another piece to this will be an employee time and attendance system with the payroll component. Urbanik said that will be a separate contract and the Committee is looking at a company that will use fingerprint scanning, badge swipes and computers to clock-in.

The Committee will make a recommendation soon and the time clock function is expected to be ready when the system launches.

 

Posted 8/26/2016

 
 
 
 

 

 

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