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County finance asks board to fund four positions and $515,000 for modern accounting and HR systems
Summary
Administrative services presented goals to modernize finance and HR, requested four positions (budget analyst, project accountant for solar, grant specialist, purchasing specialist) and proposed a $515,000 one‑time implementation estimate for an integrated financial/HR (ERP) system to improve internal capacity and reduce reliance on consultants.
Administrative services director Stephanie reviewed FY27 requests for staffing and systems to modernize finance and HR operations across La Paz County. She told the board the department supports 25 departments and approximately 250 employees and emphasized that transition from consultant‑driven accounting to internal capacity is a priority.
Specific FY27 staffing requests include four positions: a budget analyst to support forecasting and transparency; a project accountant (recommended to be funded from solar enterprise revenues) to manage solar‑related receivables and accounting; a grant specialist (which the director said could be deferred one year) to transition grant management from consultants back to county staff; and a purchasing specialist to improve procurement and contracting processes.
Stephanie described a multi‑year strategy to implement an integrated enterprise financial and HR system, estimating a one‑time implementation capital need of about $515,000 plus recurring maintenance and licensing. The director said the ERP would include budgeting, forecasting, payroll, electronic document storage and approvals, and would reduce risk from dozens of interdependent spreadsheets.
Board members asked about timing and multi‑year costs; Stephanie said implementation would be phased, with licensing and milestone payments spread across fiscal years, and offered options to phase spending over FY27–FY28. The director and finance staff said final vendor demonstrations will inform exact costs and implementation schedule.
Next steps: staff will bring back vendor information, phased cost options and proposals for which projects could be funded from solar enterprise revenues.
