Erie County Clerk Michael “Mickey” Kearns told legislators Thursday that he expects to come back before them with requests for more staff and a better financial transaction software system to prevent future, unwanted discoveries of missing and mishandled money.
Kearns appeared before the County Legislature to address questions related to a recent audit that found tens of thousands of dollars in missing money among other serious issues resulting from what’s been called a poor system of checks and balances. The Erie County Clerk’s Office processed $156 million in financial transactions last year and takes in more public money than most other departments.
The Comptroller’s Office has repeatedly cited New Visions, the cashiering system used by the Clerk’s Office, as being inadequate for county needs and susceptible to exploitation. No other county clerk’s office in the state uses this system, which cannot communicate with countywide accounting software .
The contract for New Visions is set to expire later this year, but any transition to a new software system will cost time and money, Kearns said.
“There is a reason why four clerks before me have not changed it,” Kearns said. “It is going to be complicated. It is going to be difficult.”
“I’m not afraid to face tough challenges,” he added. “We’ve taken on different things. We’ll get through it. We’ll do it, but we are going to need this honorable body’s help. We’re going to need the help of the Comptroller’s Office. We’re going to need outside experts to work with.”
Kearns will also likely request a new accountant position. Despite the Clerk’s Office handling millions of dollars worth of transactions every week, it has no staff accountant. Currently, there is only one deputy clerk responsible for reconciling all accounts and checking for shortfalls.
Comptroller Kevin Hardwick said he will support any push by Kearns to hire an accountant for his office.
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