Years of unpaid software licensing fees have rung up a big bill for the town.

The fees, totaling $1.3 million, will be paid in three installments. Top town officials first learned about the accumulated unpaid fees last August, when the Information Technology Department sought a price quote to update software licensing. It was discovered the inventory of devices needing the update was much larger than expected.

“We consider this a very serious issue, and we are taking appropriate steps to make sure the proper controls are in place,” First Selectman Michael Tetreau said.

Tetreau said Chief Fiscal Officer Bob Mayer and the Finance Department are “taking the lead on that.”

The $1.3 million will cover software upgrades for the next three years, Mayer said.

SOURCE: fairfieldcitizenonline.com