CSA Software Solutions is a partner of Red Wing Software that sells and supports CenterPoint Fund Accounting software. The two companies team together, helping cities in the southern U.S. improve and streamline their accounting and payroll. Recently, CSA received a story of success from customer Charles Snap, the Mayor of the City of Walnut Ridge. Here Mayor Snap shares his story.

LOCATION:

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas
Population 4,925

CSA CLIENT SINCE:

January 1, 2016

CURRENT SOFTWARE:

CenterPoint Fund Accounting and Payroll

KEY BENEFITS OF CENTERPOINT:

• Budget Details
• Council Reports
• Support

“I took office in January of 2015, as did a new Clerk/Treasurer for Walnut Ridge. The former Clerk/Treasurer had given a notice that she was retiring, and the newly elected clerk had trained with the former clerk. At the point the new training started, the city had switched from a DOS-based system to an over-the counter-accounting program and we were having trouble keeping our records straight.”

“The new clerk’s solution was to purchase the CenterPoint Fund Accounting software by Red Wing Software. When I found out the cost, I refused to authorize purchase of the software, citing budget concerns for our community of under 5,000. In fact, I continued to refuse the software purchase for months, until I was forced to hire a CPA to help us sort through the city books, in an effort to come up with a working budget for 2016.”

“After the lack of budget details forced me into sitting down with CSA, a local company that sells and supports CenterPoint Software, I started to understand what the staff and their software could provide. In fact, I was quite impressed with the behind the scene options offered for support and help if my clerk was sick, to assure the city bills and payroll continued and the security of the system was another bonus. After all, as a small town we have a very limited staff.”

“We installed CenterPoint Fund Accounting and Payroll going in to the 2016 calendar year, and our paperwork improved immediately. My department heads didn’t doubt their monthly reports anymore, my budget committee was more than pleased with how the reports looked, and the details they were being provided. No doubt, we had made the right move in purchasing the system and then the unforeseen happened … our City Clerk had a stroke and was hospitalized.”

“The following Monday morning I contacted CSA and their backup plan was put to work. Within hours their staff was working with my assistant, to insure payroll checks were written and the bills were paid in a timely manner. The city’s credit rating was at risk and potential problems extended well beyond the city, which could have impacted each employee and their lives. While the accounting portion of CenterPoint Fund Accounting software had simplified the paperwork for Walnut Ridge, the CSA behind the scenes staff and their backup plan had saved the day! With this in mind, I welcome email, or phone calls if anyone has any questions concerning the City of Walnut Ridge’s experience with CenterPoint by Red Wing Software. I’ve made full circle from a skeptic, to shouting their praises from the mountain tops!”

Check out this case study, done by Red Wing Software partner, CSA, and featuring the City of Pocahontas, Arkansas. This city with a population of 6,608 found very real benefits in CenterPoint Fund Accounting for Municipals, and CenterPoint Payroll.

Click the thumbnail below to read the full case study.

Red Wing Software, Inc. announces the release of Encumbrances in version 9.0 of CenterPoint Fund Accounting Software. The Encumbrance feature helps cities and towns keep a close eye on their reserved funds and helps to avoid overspending and keep budgets in-line. Encumbrance accounting is a versatile planning tool and a good forecaster of cash outflow. Users will find the easy-to-use feature a great addition to the financial tools within CenterPoint.

Red the entire news release by clicking on this link:

Red Wing Software Release Encumbrances in Version 9.0 of CenterPoint Fund Accounting Software

By Stephanie Elsen

Red Wing Software provides software to help cities/municipalities be in complete control of their own finances. CenterPoint Fund Accounting Software for Municipals is Red Wing Software’s accounting application that is a great fit for small to medium-size towns and cities that are outgrowing their basic systems and need more functionality.

Red Wing Software customers understand the benefits of using CenterPoint Fund Accounting to manage their city’s finances, rather than using a basic program. Because of their wide-appeal, basic, mass-marketed accounting systems get a lot of press and have a massive number of users. These products are top-of-mind for many people in search of accounting software. Many people ask us to compare CenterPoint against those products. CenterPoint Fund Accounting includes the basics you need plus specific features for municipals. Here are some of the main differences between CenterPoint Fund Accounting for Municipals and basic accounting programs. To summarize the reason: many CenterPoint users come from basic programs and are seeking specific features that can help them manage their city better.

• Track by Funding Source

  Track income and expense by fund, department, and/or locations. With basic systems, tracking options are limited.

• Track Operational Results

  Tracking financial operational results can be done by fiscal year or calendar period. Many basic systems limit this information to yearly.

• Six-month Financial Report

  CenterPoint has the ability to produce a customizable six-month financial report for local or state reporting. Basic systems do not typically offer this report.

• Cost Analysis

  Track repair and maintenance costs to assets for easy reporting and analysis of total costs. Most basic systems do not track specific asset and equipment maintenance costs.

• Financial Analysis

  CenterPoint offers a financial analysis tool to easily cross-section your results by fund, department, and location. Basic systems offer generic financial tools that are not easily customizable.

• Labor Allocation

  Allocate labor across multiple funds and departments with CenterPoint. Basic systems allow tracking by company only.

• Setup Wizard

  A setup wizard will guide you through the process of setting up items to track and manage your city. Many basic programs only guide you through the setup of only basic information.

Expand Limited to Unlimited.

Some programs limit the amount of data you can have in your system. When you reach these limits, which you were likely unaware of at the start, you will need to move on to something new. Here are some of the ways CenterPoint compares to typical basic systems when it comes to limits:

Beef Up Security

One person might start out running the whole accounting system, but eventually tasks will be divided up. At that point, you will likely want to limit what employees can do and see in the accounting system, based on their job. CenterPoint has menu level security, so users can see only the screens they are given access to within the system.

Not all programs are created equal. Any accounting system has its positive and negative points. Just because something is used and known by the masses does not mean it’s the best product available. Basic programs do a great job for many municipals, for many years. But when your city starts to outgrow its accounting software feature set, it might just be time to contact Red Wing Software. 800-732-9464, info@redwingsoftware.com.