December 22, 2003

Columbia University students recommend several options to fix County’s faulty accounting system
Majority Dems commend students on free consultation services and report

Back in October, Majority Democrats announced that they had secured FREE consulting services from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs to analyze Nassau’s archaic financial accounting system and recommend what is needed to bring the system up to par. The results of that study, given in a half-hour presentation to the full legislature, yielded several options for the county, ranging in cost from $175,000-$5-20 million.

“The level of professionalism shown by these students and their analysis speak volumes about the talent and intellect of these young people,” said Nassau County Legislator Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin). “They have also presented us with free consulting services worth about $100,000 and invaluable information that will surely assist Nassau County in moving forward.”

The students explored the strengths and weaknesses of the Nassau Integrated Financial System (NIFS) through interviews with key County stakeholders, including the County Comptroller, the Budget Director and the Treasurer, as well as agency users.

The Columbia study gathered information from 20 people in eight county agencies who use the county’s current accounting system. The students determined that the system is lacking in areas such as data accuracy, report writing, data organization and training and support.

Recommendations issued by the Columbia group include

• Patching the current system at a cost of about $175,000
• Upgrading the system at a cost of $3-5 million
• Replacing the current system at a cost of $5-20 million.

“We will now digest all the information presented to us and together with County department heads, we will determine the best course of action for the County,” Scannell said. “Obviously, we are cognizant of the fact that the County is under financial strain at this time, but in cases like this, doing nothing can also be costly. Accurate budgeting is no better than the supporting information system that provides the essential data for planning, formulating, implementing, controlling, and evaluating budgets.”