The Jim Wells County Commissioners Court on Dec. 22 approved county staff to proceed with implementing a new countywide financial software system after county officials said the current system is outdated and requires significant manual work.

County staff told the court the new system is expected to support budgeting, payroll, accounts payable, reconciliation and inventory control and to provide timelier financial reporting and stronger internal controls. The staff presentation said the conversion will take 12 to 14 months, include data migration, staff training and testing, and be staged to avoid disruption of critical functions like payroll.

County Auditor Cindy Garcia and Treasurer Mark Dominguez were listed as the offices that will jointly manage implementation; staff said three vendors made presentations and they are leaning toward a product referenced in the presentation as "Edmonds GovTech." Staff estimated first-year costs, including one-time setup, at roughly $56,000 and ongoing annual fees thereafter of about $25,000. Commissioners and staff noted the county remains under contract with its current vendor for about two more years and that both contracts will likely be paid during the overlap period while conversion occurs.

A county attorney review of the final contract was requested before final execution. A motion directing the county auditor and treasurer to proceed with implementation subject to final contract review passed by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will provide the county attorney the draft contract for legal review and schedule implementation milestones, including data migration, training, and a target go-live window in 2027.