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Transfer to New Accounting System Starts Soon in Old Saybrook

Minimizing data entry errors, streamlining the town’s payroll system, and improving the process for town budget development are among the advantages of a new accounting system that the town will start phasing in this fall. At the Aug. 15 Town Meeting, electors approved up to $170,000 to buy and install SunGard Services’ efinancePLUS

system, rolling it out first in Town Hall and in a few years, in the school system’s offices.

Unlike the current town accounting and financial management system, the new system will integrate in one system financial operations and record tracking functions that are now separated.

“Right now we have records on Excel spreadsheets and in other software systems that do not communicate with one another. The new accounting system will be integrated, easier to use, and more accurate. There will be less potential for data entry errors,” said Finance Director Lee Ann Palladino.

Implementation will be phased in over several years.

In the first phase, the town’s finance office will work with SunGard services to migrate existing town financial records from the old to the new system and from other town spreadsheets and software systems into the new system.

“The town will have the new financial accounting system up and running by July 2017,” said Palladino.

In Phase Two, the town will bring the payroll system operation in-house, using the new software. Currently, an outside vendor manages the town’s payroll system.

“Bringing payroll in-house will save the town money,” said Palladino.

She expects that the new in-house town payroll system will begin operating by Jan. 1, 2018.

“Bringing payroll and human resource information in-house offers advantages. It will be more automated and will include a self-help portal where town employees can review and monitor their own records,” said Palladino.

In the third phase, the town’s finance office will begin phasing in use of other efinancePLUS system

modules. These include the system software modules for managing purchase order systems, for developing budgets, and for capital asset tracking.

In the final and fourth phase, the Board of Education will begin converting its existing accounting system over to the new SunGard efinancePLUS system.