Douglas County is asking for help streamlining its financial operations.

County commissioners on Monday agreed to negotiate a contract – which could be worth more than $53,000 – with the Government Finance Officers Assn. to study county finances The study was recommended by senior county officials.

The organization would look at how departments handle budgets, manage accounts and pay the bills.

“It’s pretty much anything you can think of on the financial side,” Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said. “They (GFOA) will go in and look at our core system.”

GFOA also will make recommendations on how the county can more efficiently purchase equipment, Shew said.

GFOA is based in Washington D.C.

The county’s current financial system is antiquated and is not integrated among the different departments, department heads said.

On another matter, commissioners also approved joining with the city of Lawrence in challenging the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 population estimates for Lawrence and Douglas County.

The census found that from July 2005 to July 2006 Lawrence’s population declined .06 percent.