Fannin County staff recommend switching payroll from Heartland to ADP; commissioners ask for training

Fannin County human resources director Jesse Hall told the Board of Commissioners that she is proposing the county replace its Heartland payroll system with ADP, saying ADP offers more automation, easier reporting and employee self-service.

Hall said the county's current Heartland pricing is "$2.01 per paycheck," and that ADP provided a reduced three-year price that comes to "$43,495.60" per year, down from a quoted $63,454. Hall also told commissioners that Heartland does not retain payroll history before 2017 because Heartland acquired the previous vendor, Ovation.

The change matters because Hall described several time-consuming, manual tasks under the current system: manually entering deductions for roughly 214 employees after open enrollment; manually tracking vacation and sick time; and difficulty building custom reports (Heartland had quoted hourly fees to build reports). Hall said ADP would let employees update personal data and capture direct-deposit information by photographing a voided check, and would allow employers to build reports in-house.

Hall described optional Heartland services and fees still in use: a timekeeping add-on with a $350 one-time setup fee and $0.50 per-employee ongoing cost; an onboarding/"employee navigator" feature that would cost 25 cents per paycheck plus a one-time $150 information-upload fee if the county's insurance broker used that service; and W-2 processing at $7.50 per employee plus a $35 base shipping fee. She said some HR-related features the county is paying for were not in use, and that Heartland's current platform feels "archaic."

On deployment and migration, Hall said the vendor estimated the conversion could take "up to six months," and noted that ADP would maintain vacation and sick-time balances going forward, relieving her of the current manual tracking. She said ADP's timekeeping includes a geofenced mobile clock-in (a limited geographic "bubble" where employees can clock in) rather than unrestricted home clock-in.

Commissioner Hensley and other commissioners asked about vendor support and training. Hall said ADP would supply a guaranteed contact person for questions but she had not confirmed whether ADP would provide on-site training; ADP has an office in Kennesaw, she said, and staff training options exist.

A commissioner moved that the county "go into agreement with the payroll" vendor and asked Hall to follow up with training arrangements. The transcript does not record a second or a vote.

Hall said the county had also discussed pricing with other firms, including a previous Hillocity proposal she recalled at roughly $60,000 per year, and that ADP's quoted price appeared competitive when factoring in time-savings and fewer add-on charges. Hall estimated the county currently pays approximately $30,000 per year for basic Heartland service, excluding extra fees for features she uses.

Next steps discussed at the meeting were for staff to pursue the vendor agreement and confirm training and implementation details; the transcript does not record a finalized contract or a completed vote on the motion.