As Cayuga County Legislature Chairman George Fearon finishes creating the tentative 2007 county budget this week, he has already inquiried to replace the outdated computer software used to create it.

Fearon describes the current software as "pre-mouse," which limits the amount of people who know how to fix it. During County Manager Wayne Allen's first week of work, he said he learned about the outdated system and that Fearon was already looking to find more current software for future budgets.

"If something goes wrong there aren't that many people that know how to use it," Fearon said.

While creating the 2007 budget, Fearon encountered several delays.

"Entering the same information into the system for five days because information isn't sticking is a delay," Fearon said.

Regardless, Fearon finished creating the tentative budget and is ready to present it to legislators next week.

Although the chairman position still holds the title of budget officer, Allen will eventually take over many of the duties that go into creating the county budget. The chairman will continue reviewing and presenting the budgets, but Allen will sign for all the budget transfers.

Read the full report in Friday's edition of The Citizen.