Surry’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on March 3 to move forward with a nearly $1 million contract to transition the county to new financial software.

According to County Administrator Melissa Rollins, Surry’s current system dates to 1999. Its proposed replacement, Munis, is the same software Isle of Wight County uses.

The new Munis program, manufactured by Tyler Technologies, would remove “a lot of the manual processes” county staff must currently use, and would “provide more transparency in our reporting,” Rollins said.

According to a quote Tyler Technologies provided Surry County, transitioning to Munis would be a multiyear process that would entail $550,248 in one-time fees plus $136,854 in annual recurring fees for a contract total of $960,810. Tyler also estimated an additional $35,620 in travel expenses to send its people to Surry to work with the county’s staff.

A final agreement between Tyler and Surry would still be subject to approval by the county’s attorney, Rollins said. The new software would handle accounting, payroll and human resources management for the county, its school system and its Department of Social Services. It would also handle permitting, and potentially allow residents to apply for permits online rather than have to come in person to the county’s Planning and Community Development Department.

The transition to the new software will be phased in, starting in 2023. Other functions, such as tax billing and the processing of business and animal licenses won’t come online until 2024.