Software Mistake Will Cost Winnebago County Taxpayers $280K

Are we taxpayers really on the hook for over a quarter of a million dollars because of someone using the wrong software? The answer is yes.

Quoted in a story on mystateline.com, County board member Eli Nicolosi says,

"Microsoft did an audit on the health department computers and found out that we were running the wrong version of Microsoft Office. Since we weren't in compliance, Microsoft fined us.”

According to Nicolosi, private contractor Gus Getner was hired to run the County's IT department and he used the wrong version of Microsoft Windows. Once the wrong version was loaded, it would've been his job to notify Microsoft and it appears he didn't do that. The resulting fine is $283,000.

Like me, you may be asking why Gus isn't responsible for paying the fine. It turns out his contract exempts him from liability. Typically an insurance policy is in place to cover the County should something like this happen. This private contractor's contract did not include a policy or bond. And that's where the biggest problem lies. Former purchasing director Sally Claasen drafted that contract and she resigned from her position last year after her spending was investigated. Apparently the investigation wasn't 100%. Why wasn't everything that had her name on it looked at thoroughly?