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Council approves move of county ERP to Tyler Technologies' SaaS platform, citing security and cost credits
Summary
Sussex County Council unanimously approved an agreement to migrate the county's enterprise resource planning financial system to a Tyler Technologies software-as-a-service solution; county staff said an existing $180,000 maintenance credit would apply if the contract is executed before October.
Sussex County Council voted unanimously on May 13 to approve entering into an agreement with Tyler Technologies to migrate the county's enterprise resource planning (ERP) financial system to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
County IT staff requested the move to the vendor-hosted cloud solution and noted an immediate financial advantage: "If we go into this agreement before October of this year, that $180,000 is credited to this purchase," a county official said during the presentation. The motion to approve was moved by Councilmember Riley and seconded by Councilmember Gruenbaum.
Why it matters: County staff and council members framed the decision as a modernization step that can improve security, reduce the county's direct infrastructure liability and provide continuity. During the discussion council members referenced a Kent County security incident to explain potential risks of remaining on on-premises systems.
Discussion and rationale
County presenter Dwayne Kilgo asked the council to approve entering into an agreement with Tyler Technologies to move to a SaaS ERP financial system: "Like many software vendors, this is the future of acquiring software. You pay as you use it." Kilgo and other speakers noted the county currently pays roughly $180,000 a year for maintenance and that a credit would be applied toward the SaaS purchase if the contract is executed before the vendor deadline.
Councilmember Riley cited cybersecurity and continuity as reasons for support, referencing Kent County's experience and saying that moving to SaaS could reduce downtime risks for payroll and permitting if the county were compromised. "It takes the liability away from Sussex County. It puts that liability more on the vendor because they are housing the whole ERP environment in a secure data center," the presenter said; Riley added his vote in favor.
Formal action
Motion: "Sussex County Council hereby approves entering into an agreement with Tyler Technologies to move to a SaaS solution for the county's ERP financials." Moved by Councilmember Riley; seconded by Councilmember Gruenbaum. Vote: unanimous yes. Outcome: approved.
Next steps
The approval authorizes staff to finalize the agreement and proceed with implementation steps, including application of the maintenance credit if timing conditions are met. The council did not amend contract terms publicly during the meeting.
