01-26-1994 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Mayor & City Council January 21, 1994 Page 2 * The current accounting system has screens for entering checks to be paid and monies received. But there is no system available to group these transactions into batches or inspect information just entered in report form. For example, if sixty invoices are entered into the system for payment, and then these checks are printed, there is no way to get a "hard copy" report off of the system showing the detail and total of the batch of checks just processed. Time - consuming reconciling and system tracking problems result without a batch - tracking system. The new system allows for "batching" of cash receipts and cash disbursements. * The current cash receipting system requires all incoming cash and checks to be receipted by hand. This information is then entered into the computer which is basically, double work. With a new accounting system and an upgraded computer at her station, the receptionist would have the ability to enter the cash receipts directly into the computer system and the handwritten receipting would be eliminated. She would be "batching" receipts on a daily basis and printing out this information so we would not lose the benefit of having "hard copy" information on the cash received. * The new accounting system will also allow the utility cash receipt system to operate far more efficiently. Currently, Mary writes up a hard copy receipt for monies received. Kris then enters each utility receipt into the utility billing system, and finally I enter the utility cash receipt into the general ledger system. The new accounting software and the utility billing software will be able to "talk" to each other; therefore, all receipts that Kris enters will post directly into the general ledger which will eliminate the need for Mary or myself to enter them. We will move from logging this information three separate times to just one time. * When invoice numbers are consistently entered the new system will check all previous invoices paid for that vendor to insure that the invoice has not been previously paid. This feature is not available with our current system. * The new system will allow one to "add vendors on the fly" which means you can access a "pop up screen" in the accounts payable screen to add new vendors. The current system requires you to leave the accounts payable data entry screen and enter a vendor /customer screen to add new accounts payable vendors. * The current system has customized report generation available but it is very complicated and difficult to program. The new system operates on what is known as a "fourth generation system" which means that reports are programmed using everyday language. Fields for the report are selected using the cursor and one is able to easily manipulate the report using terms such as "and, equal to, not equal to, greater than, less than, total, etc." Page 98