ClearGov & VIP Analytics: A Match Made in Heaven

Budgeting season is a whirlwind. There are policies that need to be followed, data to be analyzed, procedures that can't be deviated from, best practices to...well... practice. It's a lot. At Software Solutions, we get a lot of budgeting questions. Especially about our VIP Analytics and ClearGov partner products. So, we're used to being a guide to local governments during this stressful time of year. In this article, we'll tackle budgeting best practices and how ClearGov and the VIP Suite are a match made in Heaven for any budgeting process. 

BUDGETING BEST PRACTICES

Most of you know about the Recommended Budget Practices published by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting. But, a refresher on the 4 principles is always good. Because, let's be honest. It's complicated.

Building a strong local government budget starts with understanding your community. Engage residents, stakeholders, and experts to identify needs and challenges. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses across programs, infrastructure, and internal processes. This information empowers you to establish clear, long-term goals with buy-in from the community. Next, develop actionable plans with financial, operational, and program strategies. Utilize technology to monitor progress and ensure program effectiveness, setting the stage for success.

Now it's time to translate your plans into action! Establish a clear timeline and collaborate with stakeholders throughout the process. Analyze income and expenses, forecast future trends, and evaluate various funding options. Make informed choices to balance the budget while aligning with your goals and adhering to established procedures. Transparency is key, so clearly communicate key information to the community.

Your journey doesn't end with the budget's creation. Continuously evaluate program effectiveness and stakeholder satisfaction to identify areas for improvement. Monitor budget adherence, financial health, external factors, and the progress of capital projects. Analyze data, feedback, and changing circumstances to inform adjustments to budgets, policies, programs, and even your initial goals. By embracing adaptation, you ensure your local government budget remains a powerful tool for achieving community goals and delivering lasting value.

We've covered how local governments can build a strong and responsible budget. And how this will help you achieve your goals for the community. Now it's time to dig into some of the technology that will help with this whole process.

HOW TO STREAMLINE THE BUDGETING PROCESS

Both ClearGov and VIP Analytics are powerful budgeting solutions for local governments. A perfect pair for any municipality. But when do you use one over the other? They cater to different needs and stages of the budgeting process. Here's a breakdown that might help:

ClearGov

Use ClearGov for building and presenting official budgets, achieving transparency goals, and forecasting. ClearGov's strength is in its public-facing presentation. Build your official budget, achieve GFOA award-winning results, and display your plan to the community. Use ClearGov during the budget prep and presentation season.

• Key features: Multi-year scenario modeling, capital project planning, and public-facing presentations.

• Target audience: Citizens and other stakeholders.

VIP Suite

Use Software Solutions' VIP Analytics for ongoing analysis, year-round decision-making, and internal reporting. Its strength is in its reporting capabilities and integration with the VIP Suite. This is the tool you'll be using every day for financial analysis, reporting, and departmental budgeting. Use VIP Analytics for ongoing financial management and internal decision-making.

• Key features: VIP integration, personnel budgeting by position, and custom reporting.

• Target audience: Department heads, budget analysts, and internal stakeholders.

A Case for Both

Here's where the match made in Heaven comes in. You can use both ClearGov and VIP. The VIP Suite solves the management of your general ledger, payroll, utility billing, custom reporting, AP automation, etc. The everyday data that you maintain and make internal decisions with. You can then take that information, import it to ClearGov, make it easier to read, and display it to the public, council, and shareholders. You can also work on strategic planning and capital budgeting with the information gathered. With the two software working in tandem, you can have complete financial efficiency and transparency.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

The budgeting process can be intense, but that's why Software Solutions and ClearGov have partnered together. To bring you the solutions that will help guide you through it. Want to know more? Register for our upcoming webinar. There, you'll get a demo of ClearGov Transparency and VIP Analytics, hear a panel discussion on budgeting, and take part in a live Q&A session. 

See the ClearGov brochure first.