By JORDAN COHEN

August 21, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

NILES

Accounting software for the city’s treasurer and auditor would have led to the early discovery of the theft of $142,000 from the treasurer’s office, according to the councilman who heads the technology committee.

“I would say yes,” said Giovanne Merlo, D-2nd Ward, when asked if the software, which council agreed to purchase Wednesday night, would have uncovered the alleged embezzlement quickly had the programming been available. Investigators say the theft occurred over a period of 18 months before it was discovered.

Phyllis Wilson, 62, a former clerk in the treasurer’s office, was indicted by the Trumbull County grand jury for theft in office last April for what was then thought to be an embezzlement of $72,000. The grand jury issued a superseding indictment this week after investigators determined the actual amount stolen exceeded $142,000.

The city had been relying on paperwork and had no computerized accounting system for either office. After discovering that funds were missing, Auditor Charles Nader issued a public apology and vowed that the city would rectify its accounting system, which Merlo said the newly purchased system will do.

“This new software will provide us with checks and balances, and will make council’s financial decisions a lot easier,” Merlo said. “It will help rectify our books.”

Council approved a bid of $162,000 for the technology from Software Solutions, Inc., Lebanon, Ohio. Merlo said the company’s bid was the lowest that the city had received. He said the software should be on line by “the fourth quarter” of this year.

At the same time, the city is still working on completing installation of its utilities billing software to replace a system that Nader and Merlo said never performed as promised in the three years since its installation. The auditor said the city has spent approximately $300,000 on the failed system it was leasing from Cogsdale, a Canadian firm. Council eventually contracted for a new system with another company.

Nader said the two software programs are currently running together until training on the new system can be completed.

“We expect to complete testing [on the new system] in October and have it working by November,” Nader said. “Then Cogsdale will be gone.”