County sticks with New World

Whitman County will stick with its costly New World accounting software. Commissioners Monday voted unanimously to sign a maintenance deal with the firm through 2014.

The three-year contract begins with retroactive coverage to the beginning of 2012. For this year’s maintenance, the county will pay $42,020. That escalates to $44,120 in 2013 and $46,770 in 2014.

Under the contract, New World will provide software upgrades, bug fixes, licenses to run the program and telephone tech support.

“It certainly makes you take pause,” Commissioner Michael Largent said of the expense.

Largent earlier this fall asked if the county could find a more cost-effective alternative to the New World system, which has been costly for the county since it was first purchased in 2005.

Investigation into alternatives, though, turned up no cheaper option, he said, noting the intricate recording requirements in public accounting systems.

“Well, we know that Quickbooks couldn’t have handled it,” Largent commented.

The New World software was purchased in 2005, but problems delayed implementation until 2011. In all, costs to purchase and upgrade the unused system topped $800,000 before the New World system was put into action on April Fool’s Day, 2011.