MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The City of Myrtle Beach is looking to spend about $2 million to upgrade its computer systems in all departments.
Mark Kruea with the City of Myrtle Beach said the financial management system hasn’t been completely upgraded in nearly 25 years, so they need to get better technology. The money spent for this project will come from the city’s capital improvement budget. Kruea said this new system will make it easier to track money being spent in the city through different departments, and it will also upgrade the computers used by police officers as well.
WBTW recently told you the city was looking to hire a security specialist to keep your online information safe, and Kruea said upgrading the computer system is another step in continuing to keep people’s information protected.
“It’s a big purchase certainly for the city,” said Kruea. “It’s the financial backbone for the city and it drives all those other systems we operate to crunch numbers, to track dollars, so it’s not something you rush.”
The city started discussing the need for upgraded equipment about a year ago, and they are ready to look for companies to design the new computer system. “We’ve been talking internally with our departments about what their needs are for this sort of software,” said Kruea. He said the city is looking at companies including Microsoft and Oracle because the system will be tailored specifically to Myrtle Beach.
Within the next month, proposals will go out to different software companies detailing how the city wants to upgrade their system. Kruea said they’re expecting to have a company chosen by the end of the year. From there, he expects the new system will be running within the next two years. The reason for the long timeline is because they will be running the current system and the new system at the same time to create a smooth transition. Kruea said they want to make sure everyone is trained on the new system before completely switching over, to avoid any complications for staff and residents.