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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[05] Budget Software Council Agenda Item 5 MEETING DATE: June 1, 2020 AGENDA ITEM: Budget Software SUBMITTED BY: Finance BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: N/A PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: City Council reviewed a digital budget book demo from ClearGov th at the May 26 workshop. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Finance would like to expand the budget information and transparency to the public. Current practice does not allow for much narrative of the budget details. The current practice provides numbers and some narrative. A MS Word document has been started, but is not ideal for a large document presentation. The document is very labor intensive and does not have the option to click on links to interested pages. ClearGov created a digital platform based on the GFOA budget best practices and award program. The digital budget book provides an interactive link to taxpayers. They can easily move within the document to interested areas. The department heads are able to update narratives on budget updates including goals of the departments. ClearGov populates different graphs of the data that can be modified by the user to provide information the user is most interested in. In the current budget environment, providing transparency and information to the taxpayers is important. Having the history and goals for the future, data is much more available to everyone. Below are responses to questions that came up during the workshop presentation.  Contract proposal is a 3-year contract to lock in the $7,000 renewal rate. The contract can be cancelled at any time. A year by year contract increases 3% annually. st  The $1,800 setup fee is waived if accepted June 1. This is a one-time fee.  The software is a city-wide license where there is unlimited users and usage. It’s all inclusive.  The contract includes year-round support. Updates are unlimited and can be done at anytime.  ClearGov creates data charts based on the numbers the City provides. Updates are date stamped. Finance will update budget numbers in Banyon and provide data reports to ClearGov to update the digital budget book.  The software package includes a capital request module. There are no other fees unless opt other modules. The software is all inclusive to what was shown in the demo.  Comparable software programs are 3-4 times higher. The programs are written for specific entities. ClearGov provides comparable data to other cities in MN and the US.  The first year will require more written input from staff, but less than what would be required if stick with MS Word (or MS Publisher).  The software includes assisting staff with setting up the banner and website links to the digital budget book. It also includes any training and assistance to creating the document for any users. BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT: $7,000 (Admin capital budget) $1,800 setup fee is waived if approved 6/1/20 ATTACHMENTS: Request for Council Action – Digital Budget Book ClearGov Software Proposal ClearGov Service Order REQUESTED COUNCIL ACTION: Kindly consider software proposal acceptance from ClearGov to create a digital budget book for the City of St. Joseph.