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City keeps bank accounts with Pecos County State Bank
Meeting in special session Monday evening, the Fort Stockton City Council voted 3-2 to retain Pecos County State Bank as the location of more than 20 city accounts.
The approval of Resolution 08-173R authorizes Mayor Ruben Falcon to execute the depository contract between Pecos County State Bank and the City of Fort Stockton. The term of the contract, which went into effect Wednesday, will be one year.
"We've done business with the City of Fort Stockton for 24 years without interruption," said George Hansard, president and chief executive officer of Pecos County State Bank, in addressing the council prior to the vote. "We've had a very good relationship with the city."
Council members Steve Hampton and Brenda Tipton voted against the measure. They each cited the term of the contract, with Hampton preferring a two-year contract and Tipton a three-year deal.
Both First National Bank and Guaranty Bond Bank also submitted proposals. Lou Ann Tovar, bank manager of Guaranty Bond Bank, did not formally address the council, but did take questions from council members.
Much of the discussion prior to the council's vote was centered on the city's upcoming transition from an AS/400 system to Incode, with one of the primary concerns being payroll.
"The conversion is going to take time," Castillo said. "A smoother transition is best for all of us."
Castillo said the city expects to begin the transition this month and be almost fully converted by early in 2009.
The problem of transferring payroll to the new system could be one of the most significant issues. Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Cardwell and Councilman Arthur Orona each expressed concern about how the transition might affect city employees being paid.
The city currently uses software provided by Pecos County State Bank for payroll. A switch in banks would have meant the loss of that software and may have complicated the process.
Tovar said it was a problem that could be successfully addressed.
"We would have a support team to get it all set up," she said. "We would go wherever we're needed to set it up."
Hampton asked interim finance director Roger Carlisle if he had a bank recommendation. He said he didn't have one - his responsibility was to transition the city from the AS/400 to the Incode system and to work with the bank of the council's choice.
"The city is certainly moving very rapidly," Carlisle said. "We really feel good about this."
The council also unanimously approved a companion resolution designating the city manager to represent the city in matters arising from the contract.
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