Category Archives: Customer Spotlight

The Many Hats City Clerks Wear

By Black Mountain Software | Published February 28, 2019

To be a city clerk is to know: “Multitasking is not an option, it is a requirement.”

The days of a city clerk are filled wearing many hats and accomplishing many things—from interfacing with constituents,
to taking down meeting minutes, to crunching budget numbers. So, in honor of all the roles a city clerk takes on, we thought
we’d list some of the many titles that should come after the
“City Clerk” title.

City Clerk, Also Known As…

Community-Agency Liaison:

A city clerk is the connector between the public and the government agency, making sure constituent voices are heard and governmental decisions are made public. Read more >

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Small Town Story: West Fargo, ND

By Black Mountain Software | Published August 22, 2018

Black Mountain Software is proud to have been working with the city of West Fargo since October of 2003, and we are all amazed that in the last fifteen years it has become one of the fastest growing and vibrant areas in all of North Dakota. While it’s easy to write off the state as nothing but icy winters, farmland, and the occasional woodchipper, West Fargo (and the greater Fargo-Moorehead metropolitan area for that matter) prove that North Dakota is not only a great place to visit, but also call home.

While just about every town has a historical district, West Fargo’s Bonanzaville hosts a pioneer village and Cass County Museum on twelve sprawling acres with dozens of historic buildings and thousands of artifacts that capture the spirit and charm of Red River Valley and Cass County at large. Read more >

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Welcome to Colquitt, Georgia

By Black Mountain Software | Published July 5, 2018

We love a good underdog story, especially when it involves one of our clients. Colquitt, Georgia has a rich history and like many small towns, has had its fair share of adversity to overcome. After its population peak in the 50s, the influx of new technology led to the loss of low-skilled farming jobs and the outsourcing of manufacturing gigs.

By the early 90s, the town was dying and it broke lifer Joy Jinks’ heart. But with the help of a big city director she met at a leadership retreat, they found an unconventional way to reinvent and save their town: Swamp Gravy, a play comprised of local stories that celebrated Colquitt’s way of life, named after a stew-like dish with fried “fish drippings” and whatever happens to be on-hand. Read more >

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“The Best Town on Earth”

By Black Mountain Software | Published March 30, 2017

There are a lot of towns that claim this title, but Upton, Wyoming, actually owns the slogan: “The best town on Earth.” With its vast wildlife population, big-town amenities and rich history, it’s no wonder this little town claims the “best town” title.

 About Upton, Wyoming

 At only 2.96 square miles and with a population of only 1,100, the people in this Wyoming town are dramatically outnumbered by the vast wildlife. Because of the many lakes and streams outside the town’s borders, there is a number of fish species that feed the dense, local wildlife population.

 For the human population, this small little town packs a lot into its tiny footprint. Read more >

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City of Lava Hot Springs Switches from DOS to BMS

By Black Mountain Software | Published February 23, 2016

From D-O-S to B-M-S

We are excited to feature one of our newest clients, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, in our small town stories this month. This is possibly one of the most unique places we have ever featured.

About Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

Lava Hot Springs, located in Bannock County, has a few things that make it unique. Besides the fact that it has 102-degree water surrounding the 455-acre town, it also claims to be an “odor-free” natural hot spring! Just imagine, soaking in warm, mineral-rich water as you take in the surrounding beauty with a deep, detoxifying breath that smells of…nothing! Read more >

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Small Town Stories: Joliet, MT

By Black Mountain Software | Published October 19, 2015

Over the years, we’ve written about many small towns that Black Mountain Software serves. Though this town is quite typical in many ways to other towns we’ve featured, it has one outstanding characteristic: it is the smallest in landmass, reaching only .29 square miles!

Within its tiny footprint and population hovering around 650 people, it’s surprising to find that Joliet has had a few notable historical residents that have called Joliet home. The first is former Montana State Senator Chet Blaylock who ran for Governor of Montana. Second, is Jack Waddell, test pilot for the Boeing 747 maiden flight in 1969. Read more >

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Small Town Stories: Lucerne, Wyoming

By Black Mountain Software | Published January 19, 2015

We love small towns! Why, you may ask? Well, working with small towns allows us to really get to know our customers personally to understand their special needs. For example, when Utility Billing Clerk Taylor Smalley from the town of Lucerne, Wyoming, called us needing a cloud-based solution for their utility billing operations so she could work from home and tend to her cattle, we thought, “we can relate to that and it’s exactly why we are in the business of small town software!”

Cattle tending is just part of Taylor’s life in Lucerne, a town of 535 residents. Located in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, Lucerne is a 20-square mile plot of mostly land (The Bighorn River runs through it) in Central Wyoming, just north of Thermopolis. Read more >

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What Makes Special Districts, Special?

By Black Mountain Software | Published November 24, 2014

special districtsOn various forums we participate in, we notice a lot of discussion about or involving special districts. We also notice that confusion exists about what qualifies as a special district, and the pros and cons of a special district set up.

What is a special district?

A special district is defined as any district that incorporates a separate form of government in order to provide public services to a specific area. A special district can be established to deliver any of a wide range of services including airports, highways, mass transit, parks, cemeteries, hospitals, irrigation, conservation, gas utility and more.While characteristics of special districts vary according to location and other specifics, there are four main characteristics that typically remain the same. Read more >

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Small Town Stories: Town of Circle, MT

By Black Mountain Software | Published November 17, 2014

We love to “circle” the 24 states where Black Mountain Software has customers, in search of Small Town Stories, and our latest stop is the Town of Circle, Montana!

Recently, the Town of Circle happened to become Black Mountain Software’s 300th Montana customer. We decided to celebrate this milestone by delivering a $300 check to the Circle Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture to use toward their annual Town & Country Day expenses. Emily Guldborg, Treasurer for the Chamber and Manager of the McCone County Credit Union, responded that they “greatly appreciated” the extra monies for their event, which celebrates the region’s rich agriculture and ranching industries (the area’s main economic driving force). Read more >

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Small Town Stories: Helena, Georgia

By Black Mountain Software | Published July 28, 2014

helena-ga-telfair-county-museum-of-history-railroad-depot-small-town-america-photo-ccopyright-brian-brown-vanishing-south-georgia1Recently, we ran a story on the friendly merger of two sister cities in Georgia: McRae and Helena. We are thrilled that during this transition, the cities have decided to merge their software, too, and now McRae will join Helena as part of our Black Mountain Software family.

While McRae is new to us and that is very exciting, we feel that we haven’t done enough talking about how much Helena—a BMS customer since 2006–has meant to us. Over the years, we have enjoyed the southern friendliness and courtesy in our working relationship with the clerks and city manager of Helena: Janeen Tokar (City Manager), Allison Cox (UB Clerk), and Heather Livingston (City Clerk). Read more >

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