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Finance department requests $1M capital to replace Great Plains Dynamics ahead of vendor end-of-life
Summary
Comptroller Margaret Wilson presented a combined finance and purchasing FY26 budget and requested a $1,000,000 capital appropriation to begin replacement of Great Plains Dynamics accounting software, citing vendor end-of-life in 2029 and implementation lead time exceeding one year.
Margaret Wilson, the City of Franklin’s new comptroller, presented the finance and purchasing FY26 budget on Feb. 6 and told the Budget & Finance Committee the department is seeking a $1,000,000 capital appropriation to begin replacing the city’s enterprise accounting system.
Wilson said this is the first year the finance and purchasing divisions appear in a combined budget after the departments merged in December 2024; the consolidated base budget appears higher for that reason. She told the committee that Microsoft announced an end-of-life for Great Plains Dynamics in October 2029 and that implementation of a replacement would take more than one year, so the city is requesting $1,000,000 in FY26 capital funding to start the project.
The comptroller reviewed department functions including cash and bank account reconciliation, payroll, vendor payments, temporary investment reporting, internal audits and support for external audits. She said the department completed implementation of UKG payroll software in January 2024 and has cross-trained financial analysts to provide coverage.
Wilson also reported the finance department addressed a single audit finding from FY24 and implemented GASB 101 (compensated absences) for the next annual report. She noted the finance team is pursuing its 34th consecutive year of the Government Finance Officers Association certificate of achievement for the city’s financial reporting.
On purchasing, Wilson explained that purchasing focuses on procurement of non-capital goods and services; engineering retains responsibility for procurement tied to new infrastructure and construction. She said the purchasing manager retired and that the department has been cross-training to fill vacancies.
Committee members did not vote on the capital request during the meeting; Wilson and staff said detailed vendor selection, procurement method and total project cost will be part of subsequent planning and contract work.
Ending: The finance presentation set out a capital ask for FY26 to fund an accounting-system replacement project and outlined ongoing department work to modernize payroll and accounts-payable workflows.
