eSTART

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Legislation to create a standalone agency under the auspices of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is being aggressively pushed by Gov. Robert Bentley, even though OIT has repeatedly shown itself incompetent in its management of the STARRS accounting system, eStart time and attendance software, CARES system that facilitates … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Chanting the much-ballyhooed mantra of “streamlining government, transparency and efficiency,” the administration of Governor Robert Bentley and the Republican-controlled State House have green-lighted, perhaps, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on failed software systems. Last Monday, Bentley’s cabinet secretary for the Office of Information Technology (OIT), Dr. Joanne Hale, … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter For over a year, Governor Robert Bentley repeatedly received warnings concerning the many technological and systematic failures under the leadership of Acting Finance Director, Bill Newton, and his assistant, Rex McDowell. The time and attendance management system eSTART is just one of several software solutions to fail so badly; … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter Another one of Governor Robert Bentley’s bright ideas to help bring the State into the “digital-age” is crumbling, as the time and attendance software known as eSTART was abandoned by the Department of Human Resources (DHR). A recent memo from the DHR alerted staff that, ‘the use of e-START, … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Tackling budget reform is priority one, according to Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia). Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) called for reforms and voiced his commitment during the recent Special Legislative Session. During this Session, McCutcheon sponsored and passed JHR62, which establishes a task force with … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—An Attorney General’s Opinion issued July 29, confirms the State Personnel Board (SPB) and the State Personnel Department (SPD) have the specific authority to “promulgate the manner by which State agencies are to maintain time and leave records.” The legal definition of promulgating means, “to formally proclaim or declare … Continued

By Susan Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—It appears that eSTART is a duplication of services for the State Human Resource Management. In a September 2015 letter addressed to State Comptroller, Tom White, sent by Jackie Graham, State Personnel Director, in response to a letter White sent to the Alabama Department of Transportation. In White’s letter, … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—After reporting on the troubled eSTART time and attendance system, the Alabama Political Reporter received an email from a Director at the Department of Finance saying, “eSTART is the best thing to happen to state government in years. Ziegler is clueless and needs to fire his staff if they … Continued

By Bill Britt Alabama Political Reporter MONTGOMERY—Even though the shoddily implemented STAARS accounting software is still causing major headaches for agencies and vendors, the Department of Finances is doubling down on a troubled new time and attendance system named eSTART. All agencies, major and minor, are reporting unanimously: eSTART doesn’t lives up to the hype. … Continued