Spectrum

The Spectrum software suite has been designed to meet the unique operating needs of the public sector; local governments and utility authorities. As a one-stop solution provider, the developers recognize that the goal of software is to create an effective and efficient organization. The software can acknowledge that every department within your organization has different processing needs and implementation time lines. In response to these varying needs, Spectrum solutions can be implemented one department at a time. When the time comes key applications can be fully integrated. Spectrum understands where you want your organization to go and can help you get there quickly.

Applicant Tracking

Applicant Tracking tracks potential candidates from the application process through the decision making process. The system, which is driven by requisition number, allows more than one applicant to be tied to a single requisition number. The system can be used with PayForce or as a stand-alone module.

Features

• Assigns unique requisition numbers
• Catalogs job posting dates
• Tracks the involvement of internal and external personnel
• Catalogs position descriptions
• Tracks the number of applicants applying and interviewing for each requisition

Applicant

• Gathers information on potential candidates–Name, Social Security Number, Address, etc.
• Automatically transfers candidate information from the payroll system for internal candidates
• Tracks rejects–reasons, comments, etc.
• Generates reply letters as applications are received
• Tracks number of positions applied for by each applicant

Employee Hire & Information

• Records position, hire date, department, supervisor, etc. once an employee has been hired
• Automatically transfers information to PayForce and Employee History
• Provides an email interface to automatically notify designated individuals once a position has been filled
• Tracks additional employee information including Work Hours per Year, Minimum Net Pay, Work Phone and Extension, Termination Date, and Workers Comp Code.

Reports

• Lists requisitions by opening date, status, department, and work location
• Categorizes applicants by applicant’s status, application date, and application requisition status
• Summarizes all hires by hire date, name, requisition number, department, and location

AsseTrax

The AsseTraxTM system is designed to meet the needs of public sector organizations and utilities by improving management control over critical fixed assets. The system helps ensure proper custody and use of assets. AsseTrax tracks the replacement and market value of each asset. This information is needed for insurance purposes and for recovery of maximum value after a loss.

AsseTrax meets the requirements for the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Conformance. The system will simplify your organization’s future implementation of GASB 34 requirements.

Automatic Payment

Automatic Payment supports the payment of bills via credit card, automatic bank transaction, or a third party collector. An Automatic Payment is the electronic transfer of an authorized payment from a consumer’s credit card, checking account, or savings account into the account of a biller, financing or investment company, or nonprofit organization.

A third party payment is one which is collected on your behalf at a location such as a neighborhood bank. Many providers of this type of collection system, often referred to as a lock box, have the ability to provide an electronic file detailing the payments received. This module is capable of reading such files and automatically loading the information into FlexiBill.

Features

• Payment Processing is reliable, accurate, on time and confidential.
• Direct Payment reduces late payment fees.
• Improves cash flow, saves time, and enhances customer service
• Ability to view automatic payment account information from the ‘Account Screen’ in FlexiBill.
• Offering multiple payment locations via a lock box reduces the number of delinquent accounts.
• Eliminates the need to manually enter a large number of payments.
• 43% of all U.S. households use Automatic Payment for at least one recurring payment (according to NACHA) and 84% of consumers who use it say they are very satisfied
• Saves companies and non-profits an average of 11.5 cents per payment (versus checks) in reduced processing costs and paperwork. Payment processing is accelerated.

Bad Debt Tax Levy

The Bad Debt/Tax Levy subsystem is designed to establish criteria for bad debts or tax levy write-offs, maintain Bad Debt/Tax Levy maintenance inquiry, and create a selection of Bad Debt/Tax Levy reports. The primary purpose of the system is to maintain and track customer accounts previously or currently being levied or written off due to non-payment of monies owed. The subsystem can operate as a stand-alone system or it can be interfaced with the FlexiBill billing for Windows.

Interfacing with FlexiBill allows operators to levy or “write-off” customer balances and transfer the information from FlexiBill to Bad Debt/Tax Levy files where the customer’s name, address and outstanding balance are maintained.

Features

• Select accounts by date range, balance outstanding and service
• Creates a list of accounts for review before completing the writeoff process
• Accounts can be edited or removed from the list before or during processing
• Account inquiry feature by account number, property tax number, name, and social security number
• Allows for multiple batches or time frames

Bar Code Payment Entry

Payment entry is one of the most time consuming and error ridden processes of any organization. The Bar Code Payment Subsystem provides the fastest, most accurate method of payment entry available today.

With this subsystem, a bar code is printed on the bill. Bar coding can be used with most full page or post card bill styles. Laser bill printing allows for the highest level of accuracy.

Features

• Payments are entered electronically with a bar code reader by scanning the bar code on the utility bill stub.
• Allows the computer operator to use both the keyboard and the bar code reader.
• Returned payments are split into two groups: payments that match the amount due on the bill, and those that differ from the amount due.
• Allows for “keyless” payment entry so the user never has to enter information from the keyboard.
• Virtually eliminates the possibility of incorrect account numbers.
• Bar-coding saves time and eliminates errors, increasing customer satisfaction.

Budget Billing

Budget Billing allows the utility authority to put metered service customers on a payment plan, allowing them pay a flat amount each month, versus a bill based on current consumption. Periodically, the accounts are reconciled based on the actual consumption of services.

• Calculates budget bill amounts
• Reports variances between budget bills and actual bills
• Allows summary or detailed inquiry into actual amounts owed
• Prints current period actual consumption charge and the variance from the budget amount on the bill
• Allows the user to select when to reconcile each account
• Allows adjustments to be made during the year

Cash Management

The Cash Management module supports the interactive reconciliation of financial accounts between the Spectrum software suite and your financial institutions. To support this reconciliation, Cash Management automatically maintains a database of all payment and deposit information. Then, as part of the reconciliation process, cleared payments are updated in both MicroFund and PayForce.

When the reconciliation process starts, you are presented with a list of payments and deposits that have not yet cleared the system. You may also enter any bank fees and interest. When clearing a payment made to an A/P vendor, you will find that all of the necessary information, such as net amount of check, date of check, vendor name and number, etc., has already been entered into the system. The payment information has been created in MicroFund via the normal payment process. The Cash Management module brings this information together to assist the user with the process of reconciling payments and checks.

Features

• Reconciles check information generated from Accounts Payable and Payroll
• Reconciles multiple bank accounts
• Ability to enter outstanding checks from a previous system
• Ability to enter and clear bank transactions from bank statement
• Ability to void unused checks
• Ability to enter beginning, debit, credit, and ending amounts from bank statements
• Ability to clear checks individually, or by a range of check numbers
• Ability to import banking transactions automatically using an electronic data transfer process. This import process marks cleared checks, verifies check amounts (system vs. bank), and generates exception reports for mismatched amounts

Credit History

Credit History tracks the occurrences of credit related activities for 15 utility billing periods. Specifically, Credit History maintains a count of the number of delinquent notices, cut-off notices, collection charges, disconnects for non-pay, returned checks, not honoring credit agreement, meter tampering and user-defined “other”.

Based on the number of occurrences and whether or not the events are consecutive, the consumer’s credit rating is calculated automatically during the calculation of the bill. The credit rating (A = best, B = good, C = bad, N = new) may be used by the utility to determine cut-offs, issuance of late notices, additional deposit requests, delinquent charges, refund of deposits, acceptance of checks, and references to other utilities.

Features

• Utilizes user defined criteria and occurrence frequency to determine credit rating
• Maintains an unlimited item credit profile for each customer
• Profile variables may be weighted for value in addition to frequency
• Draws information from FlexiBill for minimum data input

Departmental Budgeting

Departmental Budgeting supports a more detailed budgeting process than MicroFund itself. The primary purpose of the module is to support the interactive nature of your budgeting process. If you need to view several iterations of the budget, compare budget figures, and enter detailed descriptions for each budget request, Departmental Budgeting will save you time and improve the quality of the final budget.

Features

• Maintains multiple budget phases/ levels
• Allows online budget request entries to be restricted at the account, fund, or department level
• Import and export of budget data
• Detailed notes for every budget line item
• Simple budget simulations
• Adjustment tracker by percentage or amount
• Add new GL accounts without making them visible to current chart of accounts
• Create budgets for multiple years without adopting future years
• Prepare and present alternative budgets at any level
• Allows several individuals to work on the budget simultaneously
• Automatically transfers budgeted amounts to MicroFund when final budget is adopted
• Holds an unlimited amount of budget copies

Departmental Purchasing

Departmental Purchasing provides a fast, automated process to create and manage purchasing from the initial Requisition through the Purchase Order’s final liquidation. The system includes an approval process which allows multiple departments to enter and approve their Requisitions, while maintaining the security of the final Purchase Order which is created seamlessly from the same screen, after final approval.

Features

• Prints purchase orders and purchase order registers
• Interfaces with MicroFund
• Provides online inquiry by vendor for requisitions and purchase orders
• Maintains a record as items are received
• Assigns purchase order numbers to requisitions
• Allows for partial shipments and partial payments
• Allows separate “ship to” and “bill to” addresses

Requisitions

• Uses Inventory Item templates
• Ability to store both complete and incomplete requisitions
• Optional over-budget checking
• Ability to view approval path and history
• Ability to enter optional ordering and shipping information
• Editable comment field
• Automatic or manual assignment of requisition numbers
• Ability to manually reprint requisitions
• Ties Vendor Number and Line Item to Account Distribution
• Infinite levels of approval allowed, only 1 level is required
• Rejected can be reapproved without leaving this screen

Purchase Orders

• Numbers can be assigned automatically or entered manually
• PO can be deleted at any time prior to the GL account distribution
• Allows for easy editing prior to distribution
• Allows for printing of a single PO or by batch number
• Ability to include electronic signatures
• Adjustments allow a PO to be changed and redistributed at any time
• Distribution sends the entries to the general ledger for posting and closes the PO batch
• Provides the ability to liquidate and redistribute all or part of a distributed purchase order

Employee History

The Employee History module is a personnel history system that allows for the tracking of leave, benefits and status changes. This system integrates completely with the PayForce application.

Features

• Tracks the entire history of an employee from the day they are entered into the system until they leave employment
• Tracks the specific days when an employee has used sick time, vacation, or any other leave type you have created in the PayForce application
• Tracks unlimited offenses and unlimited offense stages including full text offense and stage level descriptions " Discipline report includes each offense and the various stages assigned to the offense " Creates an annual benefit report to distribute to each employee " Tracks any changes to an employee’s master information " Tracks changes to a pay code, including frequency, rate, and when a code is added or removed " Tracks all changes to a deduction or benefit code including amount, frequency, limits, bucket percentages, and when a code is added or removed

FlexiBill

The FlexiBill system supports the billing, collection, and accounting activities of government and utility authorities. The system calculates and prints bills for metered and flat rate services, while providing historic information for periodic rate analysis.

The FlexiBill system is user-friendly, allowing extensive flexibility through user-defined fields on customer information screens and the ability to bill multiple cycles one time. The system’s user-defined features may be utilized to tailor reports and menu screens for easy access to frequently used functions. The system also interfaces to MicroFund for distribution of revenue, deposits, and payments.

Features

• User-defined fields on the customer account and service files
• Easy access to frequently used functions
• Individual or mass estimates of meter readings
• Automatically alerts of abnormal meter readings
• Processes delinquent account penalties, delinquency notices, and shut-off notices
• Prints bills in custom order
• Multiple report exporting capabilities
• Easy tracking of aging accounts
• Unlimited account history
• Allows simple processing of payments and credits
• Customized pop-up alerts during payment entry
• Provides automated refund of credit balances and check processing
• Accommodates meter change outs
• Accommodates any meter reader

iConnect

IConnect provides your property owners with secure, password-protected, browser-based Internet access to view their utility account balances and a two-year history of billing, penalties, payments, and usage data. In addition, your customers will have the option of receiving an electronic bill (e-Bill) instead of a conventional paper bill, and the option to pay that bill online. The entire application is hosted on the Harris web-server and should not require any additional hardware and/or operating system software on your part.

Features

• Customers can receive an e-bill
• Customers can pay bills via the Internet
• Customers can view their open balances along with 2-years of transaction and usage history
• Customers can pay bill via credit card or e-check
• Customers may make one-time payments without registering for a password
• Ability to send mass-emails to customers who agreed to receive emails
• Ability to post static “news & info” on the website bulletin-board

Licenses, Business, Payroll Tax

The Licenses/Business/Payroll Tax application is used for calculating, invoicing, and tracking licenses and taxes. It handles most licenses including business operation licenses, and it supports tax management for business taxes, gross receipts taxes, wage taxes, meal taxes, E911, and hotel taxes.

Features

• Tax calculations and types are userdefined so that the system can handle virtually any tax type
• Tracks date of original license, issuance date, expiration date, and printed date
• Tracks fees paid, interest, and penalties
• Prints licenses
• Maintains an unlimited license history
• Unlimited number of License, Business, and Payroll tax types
• Supports installment payments
• Maintains a list of associated parties for improved tracking of who has been issued licenses
• User level security
• Can be integrated with a Centralized Cash Receipts system and MicroFund accounting
• Provides the ability to print user-defined messages on bills " With Centralized Cash Receipts, prints receipts and validates checks

Meter Reader

The Meter Reader subsystem acts as the interface between FlexiBill and the software provided with electronic meter reading systems. All major vendors are supported including:

• Itron RDMS
• Itron Premier Plus
• Sensus (Invensys)
• Badger
• Radix
• Itron MVRS
• Datamatic
• Schlumberger
• American Water

In addition to the standard formats, there is also a ‘Custom Setup’ option that can be used to create single record type formats for import and export. For example, this method could be used to share reads between two separate billing authorities that have overlapping customers.

The process works as follows. In the FlexiBill meter reader software, the group of meters to read is selected by cycle or book. An ASCII file is then created. This file is read by the electronic meter reader vendor’s software and then transferred to each reader unit for input. After all reads have been compiled, the electronic meter reader vendor’s software creates a new ASCII read file. This file is then read by the FlexiBill meter reader software which attaches the reads to each account. The meter reader report is then run and, once verified, billing begins.

MicroFund

MicroFund" is an inclusive, easy-to-use accounting tool designed to support the financial activities of local government and utility authorities. The system conforms to GAAFR requirements and addresses general ledger, budgeting, purchasing, accounts payable, and financial reporting regulations and needs.

The system is user-friendly, allowing extensive flexibility through user-defined fields. Its account number design allows the user to define the structure and content of the chart of accounts and customize the vendor information file. MicroFund also allows posting for any accounting period; past, present or future.

Features

• Comprehensive, detailed history for audit purposes
• User defined set-up menus
• Supports both cash or accrual accounting
• Retains detailed history for each fiscal year
• Utilizes a flexible, user defined chart of accounts
• Administrative reporting by fund, department, or activity
• Makes vendor searches easy with a “browse” feature
• Allows check writing from multiple checking accounts and banks
• Automatically creates the required inter fund transfer journal entries
• Transactions can be posted to any past, current or future fiscal period
• Administrative rights allow re opening of previous fiscal periods for posting.
• Detailed and summary reports available
• Allows for automatic encumbering and liquidation of purchase orders
• Automatically generates next available transaction number
• Online transaction balancing
• Prints detailed journals prior to and after posting
• Prevents duplicate entry of vendor invoices
• Provides check reconciliation assistance
• Supports all information for the 1099 Miscellaneous forms
• Ability to list multiple vendor invoices on one voucher

PayForce

PayForce is an inclusive, easy-to-use solution designed to support the payroll accounting and reporting, leave accounting, and personnel records of local government and utility authorities. The system can manage tax calculations for tax-deferred pay and deductions for taxable fringe benefits. Salary can be automatically distributed to different departments based on hours worked, percentage, or flat dollar amounts.

PayForce is user-friendly, allowing extensive flexibility through a variety of user-defined fields and options. Integrated with MicroFund, the system provides for distribution of pay, deductions, and benefits.

Features

• Accommodates multiple types of leave accrual and tracking
• Allows mass update of pay rates, deductions, and benefit amounts
• Accommodates both manual and voided checks
• Multiple search options including employee and check history
• Comprehensive history of employee payrolls and payroll checking accounts
• Allows for multiple payroll frequencies
• User-defined employee personnel information
• Accommodates joint processing of salaried, contract, and hourly employees for as many as seven pay frequencies
• Permits multiple pay rates and departmental accounting distributions per employee
• Provides calculations and applicable deductions for federal, state, local, FICA, FUI, and SUI taxes
• Allows additional withholdings per employee
• Accommodates five different payroll frequencies for each payroll cycle
• Pay rates can be categorized by departments or job class
• Each employee can have up to 999 individual deductions and fringe benefits
• Each category of pay can charge up to 99 different expense centers as well as individual capital projects
• Payroll is processed on an ‘exception only’ basis, greatly reducing the amount of time required to prepare and run a payroll
• The system allows for unlimited amount of deduction or benefits codes
• W-2 information can be electronically transferred to meet new IRS MMREF requirements
• Provides the ability to print a direct deposit payroll stub for employees as applicable
• Integrated with a time & attendance system

Payment Arrangements

Payment Arrangements allows the user to set-up a customized payment method for past-due amounts. Integrated with FlexiBill, the arranged amount is added onto the current billing statement until the past-due amount is paid off.

Features

• Ability to choose any frequency, time length, or amount in which the past-due balance is paid
• Automatically adds the additional payment onto current bill
• Flexibility to select certain bills to be included in the arrangement
• Automatically totals delinquent bills
• View accounts that have missed payments
• Indicates in FlexiBill account screen if there is a payment arrangement assigned to the account

Property Tax Manager

Property Tax Manager provides the ability to maintain accurate financial information on all taxable properties within the municipality. Included within this system is the ability to provide for rapid searches of any current information, to issue timely tax statements, to enable rapid updating of financial data, and to track accounts by various user defined parameters.

Property records may be located by statement number, name, or tax number.County/Town generated tax bills can be converted into Property Tax Manager for ease of collection. The system allows for an unlimited number of user defined alternative taxes (sewer; sidewalk; etc.) The MCS Spectrum Property Tax application also handles automatic electronic tax payments by banks and tax escrow agents.

Features

• Maintains assessed value on land and buildings
• Accommodates unlimited special assessments
• Ability to compute up to 6 payment installments
• Records property transfers
• Supports laser bills
• Tracks unlimited record history
• Provides bar coded bills for ease of collection
• Accommodates unlimited exemption amounts
• Ability to compute multiple penalties
• Supports receipt printing
• Tracks lock boxes & other agency payments
• Accommodates six line business addresses
• Provides status codes
• Provides separate tracking of school district codes
• Ability to post electronic payments from financial institutions
• Ability to search by tax map id, bill #, owner and location
• Options for calculating surcharges
• Provides automatic penalty processing

Service Orders

The Service Orders subsystem provides the utility authority a means of entering, maintaining, and printing service orders that are required to provide timely and accurate service to the customer base. Because the Service Orders subsystem is completely interfaced to FlexiBill, existing customer data is automatically captured for the service order. Service orders can also be printed for new accounts that are requesting service before they have been entered into FlexiBill.

Features

• Maintains information on service location as well as services to be performed
• Stores service orders indefinitely
• Tracks up to 999 separate user-defined events for each service order
• Allows up to 999 lines of free form note text per service order
• Allows maintenance of completed service orders via the purge function
• Prints service orders on stock paper–preprinted forms not required
• Helps track productivity of service personnel
• Assists with scheduling workload and maintains service order status, assignment, and completion details