Council approves $131,800 ARPA appropriation to begin implementation of new financial system

The Marion Town Council approved a $131,800 appropriation of ARPA funds to begin onboarding a cloud-based municipal financial system, with staff citing compatibility advantages if the town piggybacks on the county’s procurement.

At the meeting, Mr. King argued the town’s current financial software is outdated and that a cloud-based system would be more user-friendly and easier to maintain. He presented an implementation quote of $131,800 for onboarding the recommended system (identified in discussion as Edmunds) and said ongoing licensing costs would be comparable to the town’s current legacy expenses after implementation.

Council discussed procurement rules under the Virginia Public Procurement Act and whether the purchase could be handled as a sole-source procurement because the county is already doing the same implementation. Staff warned the council there could be additional data-conversion costs if the county’s treasurer or commissioner of the revenue chose a different tax system; staff said the county would likely provide tax data files (for example, Excel) that the town could import if necessary.

After discussion, a motion to appropriate $131,800 of ARPA funds for the project was moved, seconded and approved unanimously.

Next steps: Staff will proceed with the onboarding process and return progress reports to council. Council members were offered additional information about procurement requirements and could refer the item to committee if they wished.