Sebastian County officials in software dispute

Emotions are running high at the Sebastian County Courthouse.

It started with a highly charged Quorum Court study session last Tuesday, when Sebastian County Treasurer Judith Miller came before the court and made public the software problems in her office along with disputes with County Judge David Hudson.

The fight has continued to this week and should Miller not receive the resolution she is seeking, she may file suit against Hudson.

At issue is more than $500,000 spent on a financial software system from a company known as New World, which was supposed to provide a single system between the judge's office and the treasurer's office.

After 16 months of meetings and consultation with the company, Miller said she has not received a working system.

"Now 16 months later, I have nothing in the treasurer's office whatsoever," she said. "And I decided that I'm done. To me they're in breach of contract."

WON’T SIGN CONTRACT
She said the decision to pick New World, a Michigan-based company, was Hudson's. In an attempt to be a team player, Miller said she went with his decision.

But the company, she said, has yet to produce software that does what she needs in order to be in compliance with Arkansas law. She wants to switch to an Arkansas-based company known as Financial Intelligence. The software would only cost the county $700 per month but she said Hudson refuses to sign a contract. That, she says, is illegal.

"There is a law that says he cannot deny me what I need in my office. He's not supposed to deny the contract if it's a good contract,” Miller explained.

When contacted Monday while out of town, Hudson said he had not yet had a chance to meet with Miller regarding the software issues.

"If she didn't take off three days last week, we would sit down and work through this stuff," Hudson said.

He was in Indiana visiting family over the weekend and will not return until tomorrow (April 16) afternoon, shortly before the regularly-scheduled Quorum Court meeting at Greenwood's county courthouse.

ONE SYSTEM OR TWO?
Hudson said he did not want to have a fight about who has the authority to do what.

"The question is what is the best solution for Sebastian County government and the taxpayers we both serve," he said. "We are charged with the responsibility to be good stewards of our resources."

Miller said she is attempting to be a good steward with her resources and would have never gone with New World in the first place.

"I could put a system in here for $700 a month and do everything I need to do," she said.

Hudson said the current system has elicited concern from auditors in the past, which is why he has attempted to move to one software package across both offices.

"We currently have two systems with information exchanged between a jump drive," Hudson said. "We've had repeated audit comments that we need (to change this)."

According to Hudson, the ultimate decision on what to do will come down to the Quorum Court's decision about a financial software system that meets the need of the county.

"Ultimately the question is does Sebastian County have one financial system or two that interface with one another," he said. "My goal is to have one system."

Miller said Monday that if she is not allowed to purchase the system she says her office needs, she would consider legal action.

"If he refuses, I could take him to circuit court and file suit against him," she said. "I don't want to. I’m hoping he comes to his senses."

Hudson said he hopes he and Miller can continue to work together in good faith.

"I want to continue to work with her as cooperatively as I can to come up with a good solution."