The Douglas County government writes anywhere from 250 to 400 checks a week to pay utility bills and make other payments.

That’s a lot of paper.

And writing a check involves a lengthy bureaucratic process that requires much labor and cuts into the efficiency of county employees, according to an assessment by the Government Finance Officers Association, or GFOA.

County departments using individual spreadsheets to track their inventory and financial information also creates a heavy amount of data entry during the budgeting process.

“Because we’re so manual, and we’re so disjointed, then we’re not allowed to do things like long-term forecasting,” County Clerk Jamie Shew told county commissioners.

Commissioners on Monday approved spending $41,775 in reserve funds to extend their contract with the GFOA, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. The GFOA will help the county develop a plan for what type of equipment and software the county could purchase to integrate data among departments.

GFOA staffers would also help the county negotiate a contract, including prices and warranties, for the new system with vendors because of the organization’s experience in this area.

“They will ensure that we get the system that we need,” said Assistant County Administrator Pam Madl.

County officials have estimated a new comprehensive system could cost $800,000 to $1 million, but the current plan is to spread out the cost by adding equipment and software in phases. The County Commission must approve expenditures.

Shew and Treasurer Paula Gilchrist said the GFOA’s assessment was a comprehensive review of the county’s financial systems.

“They gave the staff glowing reviews. They said the staff has succeeded despite a lack of technology to do their jobs,” Shew said.

For example, if the sheriff’s office needed to cut a check, administrators there enter information into a computer there. But the request is sent by inter-office mail to the clerk’s office, where staffers enter the request into a different database that office uses.

Then the request is printed and taken to the treasurer’s office, where that office also enters the information into its own database.

“To me, right there is staff time that we’ve spent doing those things,” Shew said.

He also hopes the county can use electronic transfers to substantially reduce the number of checks workers would write each month.

County commissioners asked whether implementation of a new system would strain the county’s information technology department.

“That’s one reason they would recommend the phased approach,” said Jim Lawson, the county’s IT director. “If we tried to eat the elephant all in one bite, we would choke.”

Dredging decision

Also Monday, county commissioners delayed a decision on granting a conditional-use permit for Kaw Sand and Penny’s Concrete Dredging to continue its dredging operation east of Lawrence.

The companies takes sand and gravel from the Kansas River on Schaake Farms Inc. property, 1752 N. 1500 Road. Commissioners put the item on the consent agenda for their 6:35 p.m. Wednesday meeting at the courthouse, 1100 Mass., to give one more opportunity for public comment.

The companies have dredged there since 1991, and this action would renew the permit. Environmental organizations, including Friends of the Kaw, have opposed the practice for years, saying it can damage the riverbed, habitat and water quality.