The city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are discussing a draft agreement that would move the city's financial management onto the county's software platform, officials said today.

The county gave the draft agreement to the city on Friday, and negotiations over costs, the need for consultants, and details of implementations could be completed within weeks, officials from both governments said. The co-hosting of financial management systems, a goal for three years, would allow the city to scrap its antiquated accounting system, and could eventually lead to region-wide sharing of governmental computing software.

"It really could be a very big change for our region," said city Controller Michael Lamb, speaking to the board of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which oversees city finances for the state and has pushed for the computer merger.

The city expects to pay several million dollars to Oracle's JD Edwards unit, which handles the county's accounting. It hopes to cover that using $9 million that the state owes the city for the sale of the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts building.

The ICA board did not act on a city council resolution, given final approval yesterday, asking it to help pay for a study on the value of public parking garages and their potential use in improving the city's pension fund. ICA Chair Barbara McNees said the ICA could act quickly when it gets a formal request.

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