City to get all new Financial Software
Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Council
Forum Description: Discuss individual members and council as a legislative body.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1699
Printed Date: Nov 22 2024 at 6:40pm
Topic: City to get all new Financial Software
Posted By: Middletown News
Subject: City to get all new Financial Software
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 9:57am
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"The objective is to replace the City’s entire Financial/Budgetary Accounting and Payroll/Personnel systems with new software applications that provide all of the functions that the City now has available in its existing software, and that will provide additional functionality to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of City operations."
This could result in massive spending by the city. Not just on the software and the service, also how many pc will have to be replaced to run this new software? This is probably a $500k to $1m project if I had to guess. ------------- Please like our http://www.facebook.com/middletownusa" rel="nofollow - Middletown USA Facebook Page |
Replies:
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 10:21am
| Ahhhhh.....what happen to being in the hole in excess of $1.5 million, in the not to distant future. |
Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 10:43am
Sounds like it just turned into a lot DEEPER hole!!! ------------- “Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012 |
Pacman wrote:Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 11:03am
A number of questions to ask as to this plan based on the comment " will provide additional functionality to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of city operations" 1. Has the city made a decent, fair attempt to investigate whether the "operation" is actually efficient as to information flow-ie are they sure that they have looked for the most efficient way to create a satisfactory communication network for city operations to justify this major expenditure? 2. Are they sure, after investigating question 1, that they are purchasing the correct software/computers needed to accomplish a MAJOR IMPROVEMENT to justify the high cost and does the new software offer any future anticipated options? Can the new software be loaded onto the current system in place to save the cost of buying all new computers? How many quotes have they gotten for this software/computer/service package and have they gotten the best price? How much more benefit does this new software/computer/service offer than the one in place and is the upgrade worth the money expenditure? Hard times in old Middletown- gotta budget for bike paths, salary increases, pet projects, Section 8 house demolishing and other important issues that will make this city shine! Apparently the next time you are troubled about the condition of the streets, you can ease your mind by taking a trip to the city building to see some of that street money put into those new shiney computers just a sittin' in front of those prideful city employees. Besides- how complicated can the city's financial/budget program be? All you need is a file for Section 8, one for city employee raises, one for "special project" monies, a "bike path" account, a "downtown" account, a "South Main St. " account, one for business fines for sign violations, one for the high speed rail income and one for collections on fines levied out for rusty gutters and paint falling off of garages. 
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Posted By: Hermes
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 11:54am
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"The objective is to replace the City’s entire Financial/Budgetary Accounting and Payroll/Personnel systems with new software applications that provide all of the functions that the City now has available in its existing software, and that will provide additional functionality to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of City operations."
So if the upgrade does cost $500,000 to a $million it's strictly for the "additional functionality" ?
 And where is the money coming from to "blow" on this "additional functionality" ?Who writes this stuff for the city ? Elementary school kids ? ------------- No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !! |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 1:37pm
| What doesn't make sense is they want to cut jobs but use money for a new computer system. I think they need to know how to prioritize. I admit that they are probably over staffed in certain areas - but if the computer system is worth taking food from a family it better show some good results. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 2:23pm
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Bobbie eventually they are going to have to cut jobs unless the Unions see the handwriting on the wall. The city can not afford to continue on the way it is, currently running $1-2 million deficits and continue to let the city crumble, sooner or later thay must start working on the infrastructure.
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Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 5:06pm
| Pacman you are right - they do need to cut jobs - I just hate to see people lose jobs. It just really gets to me when you see waste - not that a new system may or may not be needed - but I am all for fixing the roads. I personally hate dodging the potholes in the morning when I am drinking my coffee. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Aug 07 2009 at 5:16pm
| Bobbie no one likes to lay people off, No one likes to see people laid off. But you have to face reality in times like these. Unfortunately Middletown is going to drag this on until it becomes an absolute necessity to lay people off. In my 20 years in Business I have had to lay people off when times get tough it is just the nature of the beast. With 70-75% of the General fund budget going to employees, you can cut only so many pencils and paper clips before you are left with nothing else to cut. The city and it's residents should not be made to suffer just to not lay people off at City Hall. |
Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Aug 08 2009 at 6:46am
/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/middletownnews/entries/2009/08/08/some_city_employees_being_warn.html - Some city employees being warned they could lose their jobsBy 	/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/middletownnews/entries/2009/08/08/some_city_employees_being_warn.html#postcomment - Ed Richter | Saturday, August 8, 2009, 12:02 AM Middletown city department heads have already started talking with employees who may lose their jobs due to shrinking budget projected for 2010. The Finance Subcommittee of Middletown City Council instructed City Manager Judy Gilleland to cut $1.35 million from the projected 2010 budget. At that time, she said that everything including personnel was on the table. Gilleland also said that she wanted to make sure the potentially affected employees were given as much advance notice as possible. Department heads have been sharpening their pencils to make further cuts, including possible personnel cuts, as the city continues developing its 2010 budget. In addition, there are collective bargaining contracts and civil service provisions that also have to be followed before an employee is let go from city employment |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Aug 08 2009 at 9:12am
| If these cuts happen, it will be interesting to see the breakout of the positions/individuals that are cut. What will be the manager to worker ratio on cuts? That's already way out of proportion. Too top heavy. How many department heads with the higher salaries will go and who will double up on the job duties of running the departments? Why did they need a Director, Manager, Assistant Manager, Supervisor and Team Leader (plus one admin.) just to manage 5 workers in the Public Works department during the Street Repair Committee info passout? How about that inactive Econ Dev. department with a Director and a manager's position under the director. Seems a little management top heavy for such a small department, doesn't it? Either a manager runs it or the Director, but can't afford both. Companies seldom cut the middle management who are high paid messengers between the actual work being done and the big doggies. Downsizing is done all the time in private industry- why do we get the perception that the public job holders think it's taboo in their sector? Gilleland needs to gather the troops, start cutting high salaries and consolidate job duties. |
Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Aug 08 2009 at 9:22am
I can answer that in two words Vet, Unions and Government jobs. Personally I don't think there needs to be any layoffs if.....
What is needed is for the Unions to wake up to the current economic situation in the REAL WORLD and make concessions on benefits and enough money could be saved to not have layoffs, but they won't and if they do they will demand some reward down the road plus their benefits back. If the City employees paid what the going rate in the REAL WORLD is for their share of the the Health Care benefit the savings to the the City would probably take care of the deficit. The Federal worker and most workers pay 25% of their Health Care premium, the last time it was talked about the City workers are paying 7% of their health care premium and they have much better Co-pays than the average worker.
Our Health care Premium went up 11% this year in my Household. We also took about an 8% pay cut so that no one lost their job. Unfortunately the Union worker does not view the situation that way, so layoffs will be in order. Usually the Janitor, Secretary, etc, are the ones that get cut. Hopefully the Unions will have their share also.
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Posted By: accuro
Date Posted: Aug 08 2009 at 9:38am
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Will there ever come a time the citizens, including the many who make stellar arguments and points, ever evolve the criticism and observation into actions? Why not be thinking ahead and voting with the purse and pocketbook. The city has made no cuts in years...none. They have been hiring, while every major village, township, city, state, are cutting back? Why? Because the city has money. The voters were duped into passing the levey, just like school board and system levey. Price left with a full year to do other things, and the school system adds fees for a consultant, pays the same for an interim as Price (best gig you can find, the golden "double dip" for pretty mediocre people, and they expect a levey to pass on what grounds? Bad schools, new buildings where decline in enrollment is the norm? The city wins every time, because complaints are never turned into actions. City will rack up 1500 sigantures in no time, power of organization and fund raising of a certain demographic quite prominent in Middletown. Why aren't citizens having other balllot initiatives made. Think you have a worldclass team of heavy hitters running for office---get real. Wake up and smell the coffee, and organizae, and start activisim, isntead of wearing down the keyboard. There's 1500 people smelling the coffee today at Java's making sure their power is exerted, while others sit a complain without action, without an initiative. And the status quo will continue without missing a beat. ------------- An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out. - Will Rogers |
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Aug 08 2009 at 10:10am
| accuro- organizing and activism have been tried by individuals outside the "prominent" group you mentioned in town. Mr. Kidd tried years ago at the old Montgomery Ward building and it was tried at the Library on Sundays. Meetings have been conducted and information has been passed and discussed as is discussed on this forum. If you invited all 51,000 residents of this town to meet on the square (less the people in the other camp) for the purpose of organizing, I doubt if 500 would show. Apathy reigns supreme in town as you well know. Getting all the "complainers" to turn them into action is easy to visualize, almost impossible to create. The best laid plans of activism action doesn't seem to be enough to get the people out of their houses and to the meeting. No amount of enticing/encouraging, no amount of anger, no amount of unbelivable actions by this city will invoke enough response from average Joe citizen to act. Can't even get enough dissenters to the polls at voting time to offset the incumbant supporting voters, resulting in the same old results that trigger the cycle of complaining. An endless cycle of frustration. Don't have an answer as to how to get the citizens to act. Circulating petitions for recalls on the school board/Council? Circulating petitions to recall the city income tax increase, the removal of certain city government members or get the streets fixed or else? Might not get the actual removal done but may send a message that petitions can be done at any time and that some people in town are mad enough to do it???? I don't know the answer that would actually solve the problem here. |
Posted By: stewie
Date Posted: Aug 20 2009 at 8:16pm
As I understand it, the city's current software is no longer going to be supported by the vendor. I was also told that the current software in use is over 20 years old, so they have no choice but to look for a replacement.
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Posted By: wasteful
Date Posted: Aug 20 2009 at 9:04pm
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Posted By: 409
Date Posted: Aug 20 2009 at 11:34pm
Jonathan....They'll need new machines with plenty of memory to run new 64 bit software on "Vista Trash!"
(Win 7)stewie....The current software may be 20 years old, however it seems capable of covering up the current "Creative Financing" by the "Marty, Judy & Friends Show!"
 Hopefully all this will change after the election!!!! |
Posted By: Nelson Self
Date Posted: Aug 21 2009 at 8:11am
| Many rank and file City of Middletown employees now must kiss a$$, kiss the ring of the great one even more often, etc., in fear of being on the upcoming EMPLOYEE LAYOFF LIST. One word of the wise to these folks from my personal experience: never think outside of the box because you will pay a stiff price vocationally and financially. |