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County moves toward enterprise resource platform; staff say replacement is a necessity not a luxury
Summary
County staff described plans to replace scattered legacy finance and HR systems with a single ERP platform, funded in part from reserves and expected to require a phased 12'18-month implementation; the clerk's office is leading vendor selection and staff emphasized data ownership and security.
County staff and the clerk's office told commissioners April 15 that the county must replace its decades-old finance and administrative systems with a modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform to improve security, reporting and operational efficiency.
"This is very much a need, not not a want," said Clerk Embree during the workshop as deputy administrator Sheila Fitzgerald and information-technology staff described the project. Staff said the current financial system is more than 20 years old, runs on a local server and requires multiple disconnected tools and outside dashboards for reporting.
Staff described a multi-phase, 12'18-month implementation window that would replace multiple legacy applications and bring finance, procurement, payroll, human resources and other modules under a single vendor platform. Staff said they have evaluated several vendors, convened an internal selection committee of county and clerk staff, and planned to finalize a vendor selection soon. The clerk's office will manage procurement and contract negotiations.
Commissioners asked about data ownership, implementation staffing and potential disruption; staff replied the county will retain its historical data, ownership will be contractually retained by the county, and implementation will require substantial data-migration work involving finance, clerk and department staff. The clerk's office said an open procurement path and an internal committee of about 19 members guided the vendor evaluation.
Staff said the system will expand internal reporting, offer permissioned public-facing dashboards for transparency, and provide employee-facing mobile access. Fiscal-year 2026 funds would likely cover year-one implementation and service fees; staff said the clerk and county will develop a phasing plan to avoid peak audit season.
Ending: Staff will return with a recommended vendor and cost details; commissioners stressed the need to ensure data ownership and to plan the phased rollout to minimize disruption.
