March 28, 2024
Photo – Rawlins City Hall – Bigfoot99 file photo
The city of Rawlins will move to an entirely digital financial accounting system by next year.
Speaking at the March 19th Rawlins city council meeting, City Manager Tom Sarvey said since he began working for Rawlins two and a half years ago, he has tried to streamline how city hall functions. Sarvey said to operate efficiently, a municipality must use an effective financial information system.
Sarvey said the city of Rawlins is close to being honored by the Government Finance Officers Association. The GFOA is an independent non-profit membership organization representing public finance officials throughout North America. Sarvey said having a more efficient financial information system will make the city worthy of national recognition from the GFOA.
Sarvey said the city still tracks its finances using physical documents and other outdated methods. The city manager said the current financial information system is not capable of transitioning to a purely digital infrastructure.
Sarvey said the city needs to update its financial software. The city manager asked the council to approve a contract with Software Solutions out of Dayton, Ohio. Sarvey said Software Solutions appears to be the best fit for addressing the city’s needs.
Sarvey said Software Solutions will allow him to accomplish his financial goals. The city manager said the new system will make many aspects of city governance more efficient.
Sarvey also said Software Solutions will allow the city to fully digitize its employee records. The city manager said the new financial information system will improve nearly every aspect of how the city operates.
Before the new tracking software can be implemented, Sarvey said the city must update its policies. The city manager said after the policies are set, he can make better use of the Software Solutions system.
The Rawlins city council voted to enter into a four-year contract with Software Solutions. The city will pay the Dayton, Ohio-based IT company a one-time fee of $249,200 with an additional $60,000 a year until the end of 2027.
City Manager Sarvey said he expects the new financial information system to be fully implemented by next January.
