Sebastian County officials face ‘hostile’ software issue

Problems with software in the Sebastian County Treasurer's Office do not appear any closer to being solved now that the company Treasurer Judith Miller had contacted about providing her financial software has pulled out of the project.

In a letter to Miller, Financial Intelligence President Robert Baird said the company was "very excited at the chance to add Sebastian County to our growing list of Satisfied customers."

Miller had sought to do business with Financial Intelligence, which focuses on financial software for county governments, after she said more than $500,000 was spent on a financial software system from a company known as New World, which was supposed to provide a single, seamless system that could be used by both the county comptroller's office, which is under the umbrella of the county judge's office, and the treasurer's office.

As previously reported by The City Wire, after 16 months of meetings and consultation with the company, Miller said she had not received a working system from New World.

"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."

After some initial wrangling, which Miller said included Hudson refusing to sign a contract with Financial Intelligence, she was eventually able to get the company retained to build a workable financial software system for her office, which she said would only cost the county $700 per month.

But in a letter dated June 1, Baird said he was pulling his company away from the project that Miller had fought hard to get Financial Intelligence to complete.

"Since you reached out to FI on April 17th, FI has participated in numerous discussions with the county's current financial software provider, New World Systems and the Sebastian County Information Technology Department; regarding the interface between our two systems," Baird wrote. "We appreciate the cooperation of the County's IT Department during our investigation of feasibility. We wish them the best of luck moving forward. After much soul searching, I regret to inform you that Financial Intelligence chooses not to provide service to Sebastian County at this time. This was a difficult decision but one that I believe is in the best long-term interest of the taxpayers give the current environment. There are a myriad of factors that we considered in the unique circumstances facing Sebastian County. We viewed the way things showed today as simply too much risk at this time."

Baird did not elaborate on his stated reasons for exiting the project, only to say that if "the current environment changes we would welcome the opportunity to revisit."

Miller said the reason the company pulled out was due to hostility it received from the county's IT department.

"My point, they told the IT department was hostile and they didn't want to come in. And that's just what they told me."

Hudson said Miller had "her opinion and I've got mine."

"I've spoke to the president of the company and I think there's been some misunderstandings, but I don't think that he was comfortable coming in when there was already a company here and it makes things more complex, so I don't think he was comfortable with that."

Hudson went on to say that he had already selected New World as the financial software system and he would like to see that system work.

"But they couldn't deliver a treasurer's package at all," Miller interjected.

Hudson disputed the point in a memo, explaining that there were two different options moving forward with New World.

"There are two options available to move the project forward at this time at little or no additional cost, 1) the interface to the existing Access database system in the Treasurer's office to the new .NET version of New World's financial software or 2) the development of a Treasurer's office system as a part of the .NET New World software system."

Miller said even though she wanted to work with Financial Intelligence, she now has to look to other options.

"I wanted to go with Financial Intelligence because they could do everything I needed, (including) a treasurer's package. They're all over the state (with their) treasurer's package and that's where I wanted to go, but since I can't, I'm going to make my Access program work."

Attempts to reach Baird by phone were unsuccessful.