The Shire of Plantagenet looks to the future with Civica Authority
The Shire of Plantagenet, in Western Australia, is looking forward to enjoying a wide range of benefits as a result of choosing the AUTHORITY enterprise local government solution from Civica.
According to the Shire’s CEO, Rob Stewart, the Council’s aging accounting applications have created some difficulties in complying with current reporting requirements and AUTHORITY will resolve this situation.
“It will give us far greater and easier reporting capability that will enable us to extract management information, deliver enhanced security, and future-proof our ongoing business support for at least 10 years.”
He says staff will appreciate the software’s intuitive look and feel, and benefit from the greater degree of business processes locked into the AUTHORITY framework. Engineers will be able to produce their own reports on items such as road expenditure, while the solution’s web browser will give remote users online access to leave and pay details.
External customers will have access to better information through web-based forms, tracking things like debtor information, payment arrangements, development applications and mapping enquiries.
Rob said the Shire of Plantagenet chose Civica’s AUTHORITY in preference to other solutions, including systems from two other West Australian Local Government Association-approved suppliers, for a variety of reasons.
“The selection hinged on cost, product functionality, service backup and, to a certain extent, on predictions of how these issues will develop in the future,” he said. “A change of software is a significant and costly exercise, so part of the decision has to be based on the risk of vendor/system combinations.
“We saw Civica as the preferred solution from a risk management perspective and they also demonstrated a commitment to invest heavily in the product’s ongoing research and development.”
According to Plantagenet’s Deputy CEO, John Fathers, the switch from an out-dated financial system running parallel with a newer rating system that uses old technology, to a modern enterprise system, will involve “a considerable cultural mindset shift throughout the organisation.”
The present system allows no organisation-wide visibility for land ownership records or land parcel identification. The Authority enterprise solution will deliver far greater informational connectivity between all business units including Human Resources, Payroll, Compliance, Ranger Services, Financial/Accounting/sundry debtors, and more.
John says the purchase of a new software package represents a decision for the long term, and in the selection process the changing needs of Plantagenet Shire were considered for the next decade and beyond.
Implementation of the new system began in January, and Plantagenet plans to go live on July 1. Additional modules will be rolled out over the next two years, and the Council will continue to upgrade its hardware to allow more users to access AUTHORITY remotely via the Internet.
Nestled in The Great Southern Region of Western Australia, covering 4,792 sq km, the Shire of Plantagenet has spectacular scenery, including the Porongurup and Stirling Ranges. The Shire encompasses the towns of: Rocky Gully, Kendenup, Narrikup and Mount Barker. The population stands at 4,630, with 1,500 residing in the main trading centre of Mount Barker, which serves a wide and diverse agricultural area and is the Shire’s administrative centre.
The main agricultural focus is viticulture, plantation timber, sheep, cattle, wildflowers and wine production. There are lifestyle opportunities set within a beautiful natural environment. Mount Barker is an ideal holiday centre with ample shopping and recreation facilities within easy reach of the southern coastline.
The Council’s 2006/07 budget operating revenue is $6.4 million. The new Shire administration building was completed in May 2006 and its opening represented a milestone for the region and reflects the area’s growth.
For further information please contact:
Paul Coates
National Sales Manager, Local Government Solutions
Civica Pty Limited
Tel. +61 2 9926 2800