[MAY 15, 2006]
Those in charge of managing the county finances
continue to aim in the dark halfway through the fiscal year that
began Dec. 1, 2005. The new computer program is being blamed for
failure to supply needed information. The county changed their whole
system last year. A Great Plains government software program was
purchased in order to meet new government mandates. Problems and
challenges were expected and planned for with the big changeover.
However, it was hoped that the county audit would be in hand long
before now. That information supplies the major indicator of the
county's financial condition.
In March the auditors Crowe, Chizek and Co. detailed a list of
needs to be met before they could complete the audit.
Logan County Treasurer Mary Ellen Bruns reported in April that
the list was mostly complete and all that remained was to work with
the computer software support personnel from Techtura to fix the
accounts in the computer system.
This month told Bruns told the finance committee that Tectura
declared the computer work done and that they would not be coming
back.
However, the auditors rejected the way the figures look. The
disagreement falls between how the cash accounts and the equity
accounts are balanced. The software lists that information in a new
manner. The auditors say that the funds are not in balance and don't
agree. They say they can't move forward on the audit until it is
taken care of, Bruns said
The committee was told that
Techtura says the funds are the way they are supposed to be.
Additionally, finance committee members said that their figures
didn't look right on their reports; the percentages didn't add up
right compared to the figures. Their comments in general were that
the reports are not usable in their present form.
Finance committee member Dale Voyles said, "We've got to do
something to move this [the audit] forward." We may need to hire
different auditors if they won't work with the figures, he said.
Bruns suggested hiring an independent company to aid in
determining what to do. It was agreed to hire WTI to look at whether
Techtura has fulfilled their contract obligations.
A special meeting to review the findings may be called later this
month.
"We're going to have to drop the hammer on somebody," Voyles
said.
