A new accounting software system that officials say will be a cost savings for the county will be fully installed and ready for use in the 12 to 18 months.

The Butler County Auditor’s Office office recently secured a contract with Tyler Technologies Inc. to provide a new Enterprise Resource Planning financial system for county-wide offices. Having one system system has the potential to save the county millions in the next five years, according to the auditor’s office.

“Our success is measured by operational efficiencies for county offices. Tyler’s ERP solution eliminates waste, reduces duplication, improves online access and utilizes electronic transactions in place of paper for county departments and fiscal officers,” said Auditor Roger Reynolds, in a prepared statement.

The $900,000 contract was recently awarded to Tyler Technologies after months of consideration by a committee comprised of employees from several offices that studied the need for an integrated financial system.

Despite the county’s tight budget, Commission President Don Dixon said the purchase is a good longterm investment for the county. He said the county was faced with spending $300,000 to put a Bandaid on the current Oracal system to get by for a while or spending the money now for a system that is expected to be a cost savings and last for years to come.

“It appears to be a good, long-term purchase for the county,” Dixon said, noting they knew the county’s current system could not be supported much longer. “I am hopeful and optimistic this is a good investment.”

Other bids for Oracle software implementation were for $3.9 million and $1.2 million, according to the auditor’s office.

Reynolds and the committee also obtained commitments from county departments to pay for upkeep of the system from their budgets in coming years.

“The proof will come out in the future,” Dixon said. “Because there is no more money.”

Dixon said the new software system will allow the county to track finances a lot closer and to get information faster for a quicker response.

Commissioner Charles Furmon said he believes the system is money well spent.

“The committee did the background and the research,” Furmon said. “This system seems to be more in tune with what the departments need.”

“The ERP system will provide the tools for faster, cleaner and more responsive system, such as electronic payments that will eliminate over 60,000 paper checks annually, budgeting with more accurate information and electronic time keeping the will reduce costly data entry expenses,” Reynolds said.