Tag Archives: Accounting

EOY Financial Statements

By Black Mountain Software | Published January 20, 2016

Common Mistakes on EOY Financial Statements

A2014-10-03O-Nas if the beginning of the new year—with all its accruals, deferred assets, and budget comparisons—wasn’t a big enough bugger, those in charge of end-of- year financial statements have one more obstacle in their year-end reporting: examining the financial reports for accuracy.

Thoroughly reviewing end-of-year reports to ensure accuracy and accountability is vital. With so many items and numbers to look at, that can be an overwhelming task, so we’ve compiled a list of the most common mistakes found on financial statements.

Common Mistakes on End-of-Year Financial Statements and Reports

Overlooking Expense Line Items. Read more >

Posted in Accounting Basics, Best Practices, BMS Products, Government Accounting Standards, Office Efficiency, School Software, Technology, Uncategorized, Utility Billing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

IP Addresses

By Black Mountain Software | Published December 21, 2015

Do you know yours and what it does?

I2014-10-03O-Nat was an almost laughable moment when we—a software company—were trying to explain to an outside technology-marketing consultant why she couldn’t inquiry her IP address to install a simple security feature. It made us realize: if the people we work with don’t fully understand IP addresses, there are
probably a lot of our clients who work on computers all day and still don’t quite understand them either!

What is an IP address?

The IP or Internet Protocol address is a unique numeric label assigned to your computer or smart machine, which allows it to communicate with other
devices on the Internet; sort of a telephone number for your computer. Read more >

Posted in Accounting Basics, Best Practices, Office Efficiency, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Survival Guide for Local Government Budget Season

By Black Mountain Software | Published October 12, 2015

Feel free to use this image, just link to www.SeniorLiving.Org This microstock required lots of post processing to get the blue tint. I also needed a bounce card to get more detail in the glasses.

We said the “B” word: Budgets. They can be…well, a bugger. Long, complicated, and requiring a lot of analysis. A few “B” words came to our mind when thinking of budget: “boring,” “baffling,” and “bothersome.” But that’s ok, because we’ve pulled together a list of local government best budget practices that are the exact opposite–short and sweet–to assist with your budgeting success.

 

A Clerk’s Survival Guide to Government Budget Planning

Determine What Elements to Include In Your Annual Budget.

Planning the annual budget is a long process, with many daunting tasks and thoughtful considerations. Some budgets are fairly straight forward, while others are specific and complex documents. Read more >

Posted in Accounting Basics, Best Practices, City Clerk Cafe, Government Accounting Standards, Small Cities | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New IRS Resource helps Employers Understand the Health Care Law

By Black Mountain Software | Published September 28, 2015

by: The United States Internal Revenue Service

The following article can be posted on your websites and used in other communication vehicles to help employers get the facts about the new IRS web page for applicable large employers.

The new ACA Information Center for Applicable Large Employers page on IRS.gov features information and resources for employers of all sizes on how the health care law may affect them if they fit the definition of an applicable large employer.

The web page includes the following sections:

  • What’s Trending for ALEs,
  • How to Determine if You are an ALE,
  • Resources for Applicable Large Employers, and
  • Outreach Materials.
Read more >
Posted in Accounting Basics, BMS Products, Government Accounting Standards, Office Efficiency, School Software, Small Cities, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Ease the Pain of ACA Reporting Requirements

By Black Mountain Software | Published September 14, 2015

The_Affordable_Care_Act

It’s every agency’s nightmare: more, new or changing federal reporting requirements. The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, reporting requirements are in effect, and we have until the beginning of next year to determine how to effectively and accurately report a variety of health care and employee information or face penalties and excise taxes.

In order to successfully fulfill the ACA reporting requirements, it is important to understand what ACA reporting is, when it is required, what it involves, and what your software vendor is doing to assist with an easy transition. This most certainly will affect your administrative process, and the software tools and support to comply will be more important than ever. Read more >

Posted in Best Practices, BMS Products, City Clerk Cafe, Government Accounting Standards | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Software Tools for Utility Billing Clerks’ Many Hats

By Black Mountain Software | Published February 16, 2015

Amsterdam_-_Hats_-_0931When that utility bill comes to a customer’s mailbox, it looks so simple: usage, charges, balance and due date. Perhaps it contains a message about upcoming events or holiday service schedules. But does the customer ever visualize the person who produced and touched the document they now behold?

Who is that person?

In a tiny town, it could be the same person who records the decisions made at City Council meetings, maintains the municipal budget and drives the school bus. In a larger operation, paper bills might be handed off to a mailroom clerk for processing.

Many people (or one person with mega-many hats) often contribute to the complex bundle of scheduled procedures that enable water to flow when the faucet is turned on. Read more >

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Time Saver Tip: BMS’s Budget Prep Software Helper

By Black Mountain Software | Published October 13, 2014

school budgetingGuest Blog By: Teresa, BMS Sales Manager and former Montana school clerk

In the life of many school accounting and municipal accounting professionals, there is a time of year far scarier than October 31: budget preparation season!

If you are a clerk who dreads starting next year’s budget process, due to worrying that you may put the wrong equation in your Excel spreadsheet or may forget to add a one-time expenditure, Black Mountain Software has a solution for you: our Budget Preparation module.

When it comes to preparing your school or municipal budget, there are so many little things to remember, check, and double-check. Read more >

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Utility Billing Software Enhancements: Autopay, Email, and Paperless Billing

By Black Mountain Software | Published August 11, 2014

English: email envelopeAny more, few of us remember the days of typewriters, carbon paper, and hand-written bills. As we continue to embrace technology, even those who grew up in the days of massive paper files can find ways to execute their very own Paper Reduction Act.

Monthly billings don’t come without mixed feelings at the offices of most Black Mountain Software Utility Billing clients. It’s what they do, and it makes their world turn, but it can be so much work with most municipal utility billing systems: print the bills, sort the bills, and stuff them in envelopes. Then there’s the postage and the post office, and their job doesn’t stop there! Read more >

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Every Data Storage Device WILL Fail! What You Need to Know

By Black Mountain Software | Published May 6, 2014

Replacing File:Handbuch Webdesign-InternetDate...Believe it or not, “Every data storage device will fail at some point in time. Every server will fail at some point in time. Every electrical grid will experience an outage at some point in time. And, every Internet Service Provider will experience an outage at some point in time.” — Thomas Toblin, 5 FAQs Municipalities Ask About Hosted Billing & Web Billing Software Providers for Utility Billing Services.

These are the realities of data security, and why more people are looking at Cloud-hosted software in an effort to reduce data security risks.

These vulnerabilities – and the potential to reduce them for our clients – are the very reason Black Mountain Software recently selected Amazon as our infrastructure-as-a-service partner for our hosted accounting and billing software. Read more >

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Summertime, and the (utility) billing’s easy…

By Black Mountain Software | Published April 14, 2014

English: Impact Sprinkler Mechanism Français :...Don’t you wish calculating and billing sewer usage charges was as easy as…turning a faucet?  With Black Mountain Software’s usage averaging features, it can be!

Many of our water and sewer customers bill more than a flat rate for sewer charges.  Since water usage is a metered and measurable number, many utilities calculate sewer usage by calculating the amount of sewer expected to flow based on the amount of water used.

In warmer months, customers water their lawns and gardens. During this time, water goes into the ground instead of the sewer system, so it’s unfair to charge for sewer based fully on water usage. Read more >

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