Acton’s ‘own goal’ cost taxpayers $230K
In October 2023, the town implemented new financial services software. Since then, it has been scrambling to clean up the mess.
What could the town do with $229,639? Pay for four police cruisers? A new ambulance? Maybe the town manager’s annual salary?
What the town did use $229,639 for is to fix a problem it created. In October 2023, the town implemented a new financial services software and did not properly convert the data from the old system to the new system. Since then, it has been scrambling to clean up the mess. For more than two and a half years since going “live” with the new software, the town has had to license the old software at an unbudgeted cost of $119,740 to have the original data available for the ongoing data reconciliation process. To adjust and reconcile the data between the two systems, the town has had to pay an outside consulting firm, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA), a total of $109,899.
Financial services software conversions can be complex. Tens of thousands account balances need to be brought over from one system to the next. Steps must be taken to make sure that the amounts in the old system are equal to those in the new system.
Nevertheless, the town has implemented new financial services software three times in the last 25 years, going to VADAR to Admins and now to Munis. This is the first time that there have been problems.
Furthermore, in October 2023, the chief information officer was someone who had managed such a conversion in his previous employment. In addition, the town manager was previously the town’s chief financial officer, so she should know the importance of quality financial data and should have taken care with the conversion.
Essentially, the town kicked the ball into its own net. This “own goal” could have been prevented, and we could be using the $229,639 for something useful.
Paul Macone
Grove Street
