Lake County delays approval of Tyler Technologies contract, asks staff to further evaluate CMMS and billing options

Lake County officials on the board’s agenda Tuesday described persistent failures in the county’s aging WinCAMS utility- and asset-management system and asked staff to return with a clarified contract rather than approve a software agreement with Tyler Technologies.

The presentation to the board explained that Workday is the countywide financial system of record while WinCAMS has—according to staff—been sold, is losing support and is producing billing, reporting and field-operation problems. The director presenting the item said the sewer districts are facing a state notice of violation that requires a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to track assets, work orders and maintenance history.

The director told the board that Tyler Technologies offers an out-of-the-box government operational platform that can handle utility billing, payments, e-statements, CMMS and cashiering and can exchange data with Workday through prebuilt file interfaces. Staff listed a not-to-exceed annual software amount of $141,575 and a not-to-exceed implementation figure of $423,108 in the agenda materials. The project is budgeted in the county’s capital improvement program at $778,000, which staff said includes hardware and other costs not covered in the Tyler quote.

Staff presented two options from Tyler: a broader option intended to replace WinCAMS workflows (with the implementation and annual figures noted above) and a narrower option that would include only the CMMS and utility-billing modules while retaining CAMS for other functions. Staff warned that the narrower approach—because it would require running two systems—could raise annual costs and add staff time for dual data entry.

Director French, who leads the county’s technology group committee, told the board the committee had two main concerns: overlap between some planned Workday capabilities and Tyler modules, and the timing of another ERP-like project while Workday is still being implemented countywide. "We all fully recognize the urgency of establishing [a] County Maintenance Management System," Director French said, and recommended first testing whether the CMMS module could be purchased and implemented standalone, and that alternative Workday-integrated billing options be explored first.

During public comment a resident urged the county to "lock in" any vendor-projected efficiencies—such as postage savings and reductions in staff time—so those savings are realized rather than only promised. An online commenter identified as Sterling urged the county to preserve competitive bidding and explore consolidation, warning of projected county deficits that would increase pressure on procurement choices.

Staff told the board Tyler is available via Sourcewell, a cooperative procurement vehicle that uses competitively bid contracts governments can select without issuing a separate RFP, and staff said Tyler indicated it could migrate five years of data as attachments at no additional cost.

Rather than approve the contract, the board directed staff to continue working with the technology committee, more thoroughly evaluate Workday-integrated billing options and, if appropriate, return with a contract focused on the CMMS and potentially the utility billing module with clarified contract terms (including data-extraction scope and contract length). No formal vote or contract authorization occurred at the meeting.

Next steps: staff will pursue technical coordination with Workday, refine contract language and return to the board with a recommended contract that incorporates the technology group’s guidance.