Mike Barnhart, representing Yamhill County Finance, gave an annual update to commissioners on Dec. 4, detailing several administrative and financial operations priorities. He said the county moved to electronic depositing and completed an Oracle transition (including a module called Redwood) that stabilized finance, payroll and HR operations. Barnhart noted the county recorded $92,000 in credit-card fees last year on over $3 million of card transactions and is considering an RFP to pair credit-card processing with a cash-receipt system to reduce fees and improve internal controls.

Barnhart said the county is also evaluating lease-accounting software to address new GASB requirements and is considering packages to automate preparation of the comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) rather than relying heavily on auditors or manual Excel processes. He described a need for a cash-receiving system so counter payments post immediately to Oracle, reducing risk from delayed recording. Commissioners asked whether the proposed systems would be reflected in the FY27 budget; Barnhart said the RFP and budget planning will include these items.

Barnhart credited his staff for steady operations and said no audit findings occurred in the last two years, which has placed the county in a lower audit risk category.