McHenry County solidifies court software contracts

McHenry County leaders approved a handful of contracts with a Schaumburg-based tech firm Tuesday in hopes it would end the financial bleeding on the overdue and over-budget upgrade of the county's courts-related software.

Under four separate contracts approved by the county board, the county agrees to pay the Integrated Software Specialists $640,000 this year to finish and provide support for the first phase Integrated Court Information Systems project.

The project, which involved writing new software to track courts-related information for the McHenry County Circuit Clerk and Department of Court Services, has grown controversial in recent weeks as questions mounted over its rising costs and ongoing delays.

Initially slated to cost $3 million and be complete by May 2008, costs now have spiraled to more $4.1 million, plus another $455,000 paid so far to a project manager's consulting firm. Now a year late, officials hope to have the system up and running May 4.

Court fees eventually will fund all the costs, but for now the county board is fronting money to get the project done.

County Board Chairman Ken Koehler admitted there are parts of the project he would like to do over, but said he ultimately believes the county will be happy with the results.

I happen to think that when this is all done, this is going to be a good product, and a marketable product," he said.

The latter point is important because the county, as the agency that funded the system's creation, expects to cut another deal with the software firm to share in any future profits if it is sold to other counties or government agencies.

That however, was not part of a licensing agreement presented to the board Tuesday, causing a majority to initially reject the deal before it passed on a second vote.

Other board members voted against all the contracts presented, saying they had too many concerns about the delays and rising costs.

I'd have a hard time going back to my constituents and explain these expenditures to them," board member Paula Yensen said.