Van Buren County, MI — October 13, 2025
In the quiet but relentless world of county finance, few tasks are as numbing (and as necessary) as reconciling the bank statement. Until now, the Treasurer’s Office has tackled this monthly ritual the old-fashioned way: one check at a time, by hand, with the patience of a monk and the excitement of a fax machine.
But that’s about to change.
A Smarter Way to Reconcile
With support from the Digital Information Department, the Treasurer’s Office is piloting a new automation process designed to eliminate manual check-clearing in BS&A’s General Ledger. The magic trick? Leveraging BS&A’s existing Positive Pay Import feature, a function that’s been sitting there politely all along, just waiting to be invited to the dance.
Instead of clearing checks individually (a process that combines the thrill of data entry with the ergonomics of carpal tunnel), the team can now import a whole file of transactions at once.
How It Works (and Yes, It Actually Works)
Using a custom import format, the team fed BS&A a CSV file straight from the bank, complete with check numbers, dates, and amounts. In the proof of concept, a one-record test file cleared flawlessly. No errors, no red flags, no desperate calls to tech support.
It’s a small test with big implications.
Estimated Impact: Time, Sanity, and Audit-Friendliness
Early estimates suggest the new process could save 2–3 hours each month, precious time that could be redirected toward tasks that require actual thought (or at least fewer mouse clicks). Because the solution builds on BS&A’s native functionality, it keeps the auditors happy and the risk levels appropriately dull.
Next Steps (a.k.a. Sensible Ambition)
- Confirm audit compliance with the Finance Department (because some things must be done by the book, even the heavy, three-ring kind).
- Expand testing to include miscellaneous and credit card transactions
- Automate CSV preparation via Excel or Power Automate
- Document the process and schedule the workflow
Why It Matters
This modest bit of automation proves something important: you don’t need a flashy new system to make meaningful improvements. Sometimes, real progress comes from noticing what your existing tools can already do, once you stop long enough to ask the right question.
Phase 2 will build on this momentum, bringing automation to a wider range of transactions and freeing up staff time for the kinds of challenges that can’t be solved with a spreadsheet import.
Because in local government, every saved minute is a quiet act of rebellion against bureaucracy. And who doesn’t love a good, quiet rebellion?
