CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A company contracted to
make Natrona County's computers capable of
handling the date change to 2000 says it never
agreed to have the job done by Jan. 1.

. . .

County offices are now preparing to work
through the beginning of 2000 by relying less on
computer programs for handling data. Widup
said he is worried about being able to maintain
accuracy.

Billings Gazette

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), December 24, 1999

Answers

...this is the story I mentioned in my thread 8 below. This was also reported in my local paper here in Ohio. They do not have a web sight. Thanx Spider!

-- Vern (bacon17@ibm.net), December 24, 1999.

Vern and Spider

I think this story is important to be given in its entirety.

link

(for educational purposes only)

"Company says it never agreed to Y2K fix by Jan. 1

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A company contracted to make Natrona County's computers capable of handling the date change to 2000 says it never agreed to have the job done by Jan. 1.

Dayton, Ohio-based Cole Layer Trumble Co. should have the computers ready by July, according to John Thompson, the company's chief engineer.

"I don't think there was a detailed plan that laid out the exact time tables for implementation," he said. "There's a series of events and things that need to take place. We're working on the most realistic planin terms of a timetable for implementation and where things are at."

County Treasurer Gary Widup said that explanation is simply not good enough. The contract has no specific dates in it, but does refer to projected timeframes and monthly status reports, he said.

Widup said he has never seen the contract, although he has requested them from Chris Asbury, information technology manager for the county.

Asbury said he has been receiving monthly status reports from Cole Layer, but only those of the last three months involved the treasurer's office. Widup had not settled on which program to install until three months ago, he said.

"There was just such short notice that it's hard for (Cole Layer) to tailor the programs," he said. "The assessors' side, though, is ready to go right now."

Thompson said that the time required to obtain some initial state government approvals is also partly behind the delay.

Widup said the company was contracted to customize two types of programs, for tax assessment and tax collection. The state needs to approve assessment programs because county tax assessment is subject to review by the state, he said.

Regardless of what the contract says, the county named a date for completing the fix, according to Widup.

"That's no secret and that should not come as a surprise to them," he said.

(snip) (the usual 1900 speech)

County Commissioner Donna Obert said research into which software companies to select for the fix began three years ago and department heads have been "heavily involved" every step of the way.

"The commission and each elected official has a responsibility here," she said. "We didn't go and pick the software for those elected officials ... All the commissioners can do is write the check.

"We can't tell an elected official what to do," she said. "All we can do is provide the money for the software they choose."

County offices are now preparing to work through the beginning of 2000 by relying less on computer programs for handling data. Widup said he is worried about being able to maintain accuracy."

(end of article)

A terrible mistake to make.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), December 24, 1999.

Hey, Cory. Another beaut for the Y2K tracking database.

No schedule. No workplan. No clear deliverables.

No chance.

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), December 24, 1999.

Regardless of what the contract says, the county named a date for completing the fix...

FWIW, since I'm neither a lawyer nor do I play one on television, but..... GEEZ, PEOPLE!!!!! WHY DID YOU BOTHER HAVING A CONTRACT IN THE FIRST PLACE????? (Sorry. Didn't mean to shout.) County: "Oh, yeah. And they told us their fixes would let the computers fly around the office, too." Lawyer: "Is that in writing?" County: "Duh, no." Lawyer: "Does the term 'tough cupcakes' mean anything to you?..." Unbelievable.

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), December 25, 1999.