On the agenda: Piqua meeting — data center (Jun 25)

PIQUA CITY SPECIAL COMMISSION MEETING
TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2024
5 PM
ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM – 2nd FLOOR
201 WEST WATER STREET
PIQUA, OHIO 45356
CALL TO ORDER
THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION
To consider confidential information related to economic development as further defined by Ohio
Revised Code Section 121.22(G)(8) or as amended
ROLL CALL
ADJOURN FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION
SPECIAL PIQUA CITY COMMISSION MEETING
NEW BUSINESS
1.

RESOLUTION NO. R-92-94
A resolution awarding a contract to Advanced Excavating & Demolition for the 902 Scott Drive
Demolition project

2.

RESOLUTION NO. R-93-94
A resolution authorizing the City Manager to prepare and submit an application to participate
in the Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement and/or Local Transportation
Improvement Program(s) and to execute contracts as required for the Marymont Drive Utility
Project

OLD BUSINESS
1. ORDINANCE NO. O-10-24 (2nd Reading)
An ordinance to make appropriations for the City of Piqua, Ohio, for the Year 2024

2. RESOLUTION NO. R-90-24

A resolution authorizing the City Manager to sign a contract with the company Cleargov for a
Budgeting Software Program

PIQUA CITY COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA | 1

ADJOURNMENT

PIQUA CITY COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA | 2

Item # R-88-24

Commission Agenda
Staff Report
MEETING DATE June 25, 2024
REPORT TITLE

SUBMITTED BY

A resolution awarding a contract to Advanced Excavating & Demolition for
the 902 Scott Drive demolition project
Name & Title: Chris Schmiesing, Economic Development Director
Department: Development

AGENDA
CLASSIFICATION

Consent
Ordinance
City Manager
Department Director

APPROVALS/REVIEWS
BACKGROUND

BUDGETING AND
FINANCIAL IMPACT

OPTIONS
PROJECT TIMELINE

Regular
Resolution
Finance Director
Law Director

This resolution allows the City Manager to enter into a contract for the
demolition of the building structure and incidental improvements located at 902
Scott Drive. The demolition work will remove the nuisance structure and
incidental improvements found at this location.
Budgeted $:

$550,000

Expenditure $:

$424,772
($386,157 bid amount + $38,615 contingency amount)

Source of Funds:

General Fund

Narrative:

The demolition of the structure will clear the way for a
planned redevelopment of the property.

1.

Adopt the Resolution.

2.

Defeat the Resolution.

Begin abatement and demolition mid-June 2024 and complete work in
August 2024

STAFF Adopt the resolution to authorize the demolition project.
RECOMMENDATION
REASON FOR SELECTING N/A
CONSULTANT/COMPANY
ATTACHMENTS

Replat Exhibit

Bidder
Steve Rauch Excavation & Demolition
Advanced Excavating & Demolition
Complete Demolition Services
Crumpler Crane and Construction
Russell Site Solutions, LLC
Evans Landscaping
Dirt Slingers Excavating
Reclaim Co., LLC
Wooldridge Construction Group
O'Rourke Wrecking Company

Base Bid (Abatement & Demolition) Alternate (Temporary Seed and Mulch) Total Amount
$493,000.00
$46,200.00
$539,200.00
$374,157.00
$12,000.00
$386,157.00
$445,000.00
$9,500.00
$454,500.00
$444,000.00
$12,000.00
$456,000.00
$532,000.00
$6,500.00
$538,500.00
$514,901.00
$10,400.00
$525,301.00
$407,550.00
$5,000.00
$412,550.00
$484,836.00
$20,980.00
$505,816.00
$548,902.35
Not included in bid
$548,902.35
$442,000.00
$6,000.00
$448,000.00

Anticpated
Anticpated
Completion
Commence Date Date
7/1/2024
10/1/2024
6/17/2024
8/2/2024
6/11/2024
10/30/2024
6/15/2024
8/15/2024
7/15/2024
10/15/2024
6/24/2024
9/13/2024
6/17/2024
7/19/2024
6/30/2024
10/22/2024
7/1/2024
9/9/2024
Mid July 2024
Mid-Oct. 2024

References

Qualifications

Insurance

Licenses

Present at PreBid
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
YES
NO
NO
YES
YES

RESOLUTION NO. R-92-24
A RESOLUTION AWARDING A CONTRACT TO ADVANCED EXCAVATING &
DEMOLITION FOR THE 902 SCOTT DRIVE DEMOLITION PROJECT
WHEREAS, the City of Piqua desires to demolish the condemned structure
and incidental improvements located at 902 Scott Drive; and,
WHEREAS, after proper advertisement, bids were opened resulting in the
tabulation of bids as listed in Exhibit A included herewith;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Commission of the City of Piqua,
Miami County, Ohio, the majority of all members elected thereto concurring, that:
SEC. 1:
The City Manager is hereby authorized to execute a contract
with Advanced Excavating & Demolition, LLC in accordance with the bid
specifications for the 902 Scott Drive Demolition Project in an amount equal to
$386,157.00, and may authorize change order(s) increasing the contract amount not
more than an additional ten percent, if necessary, to address any unforeseen items
deemed necessary to the completion of the project scope.
SEC. 2:
The Finance Director certifies that funds are available and is
hereby authorized to draw his warrants from time to time on the appropriate
account of the City Treasury in payment according to contract terms in an amount
not exceeding the contract amount plus a ten percent contingency.
SEC. 3:
This Resolution shall take effect and be in force from and after
the earliest period allowed by law.
____________________________________
KRIS LEE, MAYOR
PASSED: _______________________
ATTEST:

_______________________
DIANA TAMPLIN
CLERK OF COMMISSION

The Motion to adopt the foregoing Resolution was offered by____________________________,
seconded by__________________________________, and on roll call the following vote ensued:

Mayor Kris Lee
_____________________
Commissioner Frank DeBrosse _____________________
Commissioner Jim Vetter
_____________________
Commissioner Paul Simmons
_____________________
Commissioner Thomas Hohman _____________________

Item # R-93-24

Commission Agenda
Staff Report
MEETING DATE June 25, 2024

REPORT TITLE

SUBMITTED BY
AGENDA CLASSIFICATION
APPROVALS/REVIEWS

BACKGROUND

A Resolution authorizing the City Manager to prepare and submit an
application to participate in the Ohio Public Works Commission State
Capital Improvement and/or Local Transportation Improvement Program(s)
and to execute contracts as required for the Marymont Drive Utility Project.
Name & Title: Kyle Hinkelman, Community Services Director
Department: Community Services
Consent

Ordinance

City Manager
Asst. City Manager/Development
Department Director

Resolution

Regular

Asst. City Manager/Finance
Law Director
Other:

This Resolution would allow for the City Manager to file an application with
the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) for funding for the Marymont
Drive Utility Project.
In the past couple years, the water main on Marymont Drive experiences
one to three breaks a year, along with it being undersized (4”) and unlined
cast iron. The water main needs to be replaced, and with that the other
utilities are being replaced so the infrastructure on this street is all
improved at once.
The project will consist of the replacement of all water, sanitary sewer and
stormwater utility infrastructure on the entire street. The street will be
repaved after all utility work is completed, including pavement markings
and necessary ADA Curb Ramps at the Park Avenue and Marymont Drive
intersection.
If the funding is received, this project will be designed in 2025 and is
scheduled to start construction in the summer of 2026.

Budgeted $:
BUDGETING AND
FINANCIAL IMPACT Expenditure $:
Source of
Funds:
Narrative:

$0
Costs will be included in the 2025/2026 budgets
Street Income Tax (103 Fund), Water, Wastewater &
Stormwater Funds.
At this time, the preliminary total project cost
(including Engineering & Construction) is estimated to
be $2,200,000. The grant request through OPWC is

going to be around the amount of $500,000 but the
amount could vary depending on funding availability
for this cycle.
OPTIONS

1.

Approve the resolution and apply to OPWC for funding for the
Marymont Drive Utility Project.

2.

Do not approve the resolution and provide guidance as to additional
funding sources.

PROJECT TIMELINE The Marymont Drive Utility Project would begin construction in the
Summer of 2026.
STAFF Approve the resolution and submit an application to OPWC for funding for
RECOMMENDATION the Marymont Drive Utility Project.
REASON FOR SELECTING N/A
CONSULTANT/COMPANY
ATTACHMENTS Location Map (Exhibit A)

RESOLUTION NO. R-93-24
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO
PREPARE AND SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE OHIO PUBLIC WORKS
COMMISSION STATE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND/OR
LOCAL
TRANSPORTATION
IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM(S) AND TO EXECUTE CONTRACTS AS
REQUIRED FOR THE MARYMONT DRIVE UTILITY
PROJECT
WHEREAS, the State Capital Improvement Program and the Local
Transportation Improvement Program both provide financial assistance to political
subdivisions for capital improvements to public infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the City of Piqua is planning to make capital improvements by
replacing all the sanitary, storm and water utilities, along with the repaving of the street
on Marymont Drive; and
WHEREAS, the infrastructure improvement herein above described are
considered to be a priority need for the community and is a qualified project under the
Ohio Public Works Commission programs,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Commission of the City of Piqua,
Miami County, Ohio, the majority of all members elected thereto concurring, that:
SEC. 1:
The City of Piqua approves filing an application with the Ohio
Public Works Commission for funding for the Marymont Drive Utility Project.
SEC. 2:
Paul Oberdorfer, City Manager, is hereby authorized and directed
to apply to the Ohio Public Works Commission for funds as described above and to
provide all information and documentation and to enter into any agreements as may be
necessary and appropriate for obtaining this financial assistance.
SEC. 3:
This Resolution shall take effect and be in force from and after the
earliest period allowed by law.

____________________________
KRIS LEE, MAYOR
PASSED: _______________________
ATTEST:

_______________________
DIANA TAMPLIN
CLERK OF COMMISSION

The Motion to adopt the foregoing Resolution was offered by___________________________,
seconded by__________________________________, and on roll call the following vote ensued:
Mayor Kris Lee
_____________________
Commissioner Frank DeBrosse _____________________
Commissioner Jim Vetter
_____________________
Commissioner Paul Simmons
_____________________
Commissioner Thomas Hohman _____________________

Item # O-10-24

Commission Agenda
Staff Report
MEETING DATE June 18, 2024
An Amended Ordinance to make appropriations for the City of Piqua, Ohio,
REPORT TITLE for the Year 2024

SUBMITTED BY

Name & Title: Jerald O’Brien, Finance Director
Department: Finance

AGENDA CLASSIFICATION

Consent

Ordinance

Resolution

Regular

City Manager
APPROVALS/REVIEWS
Law Director
Department Director
We are requesting a supplemental appropriation. The Finance Department
BACKGROUND
has identified a computer software program that will significantly improve
the budget creation and approval process. If the city enters into the
contract by June 30, 2024, the City will save $4,050 on the implementation
costs of the program. We request waiving of the second and third
readings and passage of the Appropriations tonight as an emergency to
allow the city to take advantage of the reduced implementation costs.
BUDGETING AND Appropriations
$115,198,333 Including Transfers
FINANCIAL IMPACT $:
$89,902,225 Net of Transfers
Source of Funds:

Various

Narrative
OPTIONS

1.

Approve Ordinance No. O-10-24 accepting the Amended Ordinance to
make Appropriations for the City of Piqua for the Year 2024.

2.

Approve Ordinance No. O-10-24 accepting the Amended Ordinance to
make Appropriations for the City of Piqua for the Year 2024 with
changes being made to the amounts requested.

PROJECT TIMELINE
We are requesting approval of Ordinance No. O-10-24 accepting the
STAFF emergency Amended Ordinance to make Appropriations for the City of
RECOMMENDATION Piqua for the year 2024.
ATTACHMENTS

ORDINANCE NO. O-10-24

AN ORDINANCE TO MAKE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE
CITY OF PIQUA, OHIO FOR THE YEAR 2024
BE IT ORDAINED by the Commission of the City of Piqua, Miami County,
Ohio, the majority of all members elected or appointed thereto concurring:
SEC. 1:

That there be appropriated from the GENERAL FUND (001)

ACCOUNT

2024
BUDGET

City Building
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)
Allocated Expenses

$269,509
$90,460
($20,430)

TOTAL

$339,539

City Commission
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance

$61,737
$40,681

TOTAL

$102,418

City Manager
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses

$302,063
$34,431
($246,213)

INCREASE
(DECREASE)

2024 REVISED
BUDGET
$269,509
$90,460
($20,430)
$0

$339,539
$61,737
$40,681

$0

$102,418
$302,063
$34,431
($246,213)

TOTAL

$90,281

Civil Service
Operation and Maintenance

$38,870

TOTAL

$38,870

$0

$38,870

Engineering
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses

$372,019
$207,624
($469,340)

$0

$372,019
$207,624
($469,340)

TOTAL

$110,303

$0

$110,303

Finance
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses

$746,836
$76,374
($569,497)

$14,000

$746,836
$90,374
($569,497)

TOTAL

$253,713

$14,000

$267,713

Law
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses

$0
$128,984
($76,805)

TOTAL

$52,179

$0

$90,281
$38,870

$0
$128,984
($76,805)
$0

$52,179

Income Tax
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance

$62,016
$460,770

TOTAL

$522,786

$0

$522,786

Planning & Zoning
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance

$430,295
$83,436

$0

$430,295
$83,436

TOTAL

$513,731

$0

$513,731

General Government
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)

$735,715
$500,000

$0

$735,715
$500,000

TOTAL

$1,235,715

$0

$1,235,715

Human Resources
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses

$371,751
$81,878
($384,741)

$0

$371,751
$81,878
($384,741)

$68,888

$0

$68,888

$238,908
$90,708
($194,191)

$0
$0

$238,908
$90,708
($194,191)

$135,425
2024
BUDGET

$0

$135,425
2024 REVISED
BUDGET

TOTAL
Public Relations
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses
TOTAL
Ord. No. 15-23
Page 2 of 6
Facilities
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses
TOTAL
Purchasing
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses
TOTAL
Transfers
Transfer to Parks Fund 105
Transfer to Safety Fund 106
Transfer to Forest Hill Mausoleum Fund 110
Transfer to Pro Piqua Fund 128
Transfer to Golf 409
Transfer to Fort Piqua Plaza 410

$62,016
$460,770

$126,289
$1,500
($127,789)
$0

$126,289
$1,500
($127,789)
$0

$251,840
$19,758
($259,592)
$12,006
$1,000,000
$3,550,000
$25,000
$60,000
$225,000
$425,000

$0
$251,840
$19,758
($259,592)

$0

$12,006

$0

$1,000,000
$3,550,000
$25,000
$60,000
$225,000
$425,000

TOTAL

$5,285,000

$0

$5,285,000

TOTAL GENERAL FUND

$8,760,854

$14,000

$8,774,854

SEC. 2:

That there be appropriated from the STREET DEPARTMENT FUND (101)

Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)

$1,493,267
$1,744,816
$500,000

TOTAL

$3,738,083

SEC. 3:

$1,493,267
$1,744,816
$500,000
$0

$3,738,083

That there be appropriated from the STATE HIGHWAY FUND (102)

Operation and Maintenance

$89,500

TOTAL

$89,500

$0

$89,500

Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)

$2,367,183
$1,888,250

$0

$2,367,183
$1,888,250

TOTAL

$4,255,433

$0

$4,255,433

SEC. 4:

SEC. 5:

$89,500

That there be appropriated from the STREET INCOME TAX FUND (103)

That there be appropriated from the NEIGHBORHOOD
IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FUND (104)

Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance

$0
$69,300

TOTAL

$69,300

SEC. 6:
That there be appropriated from the PARK AND RECREATION FUND (105)
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)

$768,536
$620,619
$122,000

TOTAL

$0
$69,300
$0

$69,300
$768,536
$620,619
$122,000

$1,511,155

$0

$1,511,155

009 Fire Department
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)

$4,945,636
$987,421
$318,432

$0
$0
$0

$4,945,636
$987,421
$318,432

TOTAL

$6,251,489

$0

$6,251,489

014 Police Department
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)

$5,863,299
$924,764
$210,757

$0
$0
$0

$5,863,299
$924,764
$210,757

TOTAL

$6,998,820

$0

$6,998,820

SEC. 7:

That there be appropriated from the PUBLIC SAFETY FUND (106)

TOTAL PUBLIC SAFETY
SEC. 8:

$13,250,309

$11,000

TOTAL

$11,000

That there be appropriated from the FOREST HILL MAUSOLEUM FUND (110)

TOTAL

$25,000

$4,400

TOTAL

$4,400

$555

TOTAL

$555

$40,000

TOTAL

$40,000

$125,875

TOTAL

$125,875

$4,400
$0

$4,400

$555
$0

$555

$40,000
$0

$40,000

$125,875
$0

$125,875

That there be appropriated from the CDBG-CV FUND (118)

Operation and Maintenance

$334,550

TOTAL

$334,550

$334,550
$0

$334,550

That there be appropriated from the C.H.I.P. PROGRAM INCOME
FUND (119)

Operation and Maintenance

$156,500

TOTAL

$156,500

SEC. 16:

$25,000

That there be appropriated from the CHIP FUND (117)

Operation and Maintenance

SEC. 15:

$0

That there be appropriated from the ONEOHIO OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUND (113)

Operation and Maintenance

SEC. 14:

$25,000

That there be appropriated from the SCARBROUGH TIF FUND (112)

Operation and Maintenance

SEC. 13:

$11,000

That there be appropriated from the MANDATORY DRUG FINE FUND (111)

Operation and Maintenance

SEC. 12:

$0

2024 REVISED
BUDGET

$25,000

SEC. 11:

$11,000

2024
BUDGET

Operation & Maintenance

SEC. 10:

$13,250,309

That there be appropriated from the D.U.I. EDUCATIONAL FUND (109)

Operation & Maintenance

Ord. No. 15-23
Page 3 of 6
SEC. 9:

$0

That there be appropriated from the COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
BLOCK GRANT FUND (122)

$156,500
$0

$156,500

Operation and Maintenance

$140,000

TOTAL

$140,000

$0

$140,000

Personal Services/Administrative Support

$389,760

$0

$389,760

TOTAL

$389,760

$0

$389,760

SEC. 17:

SEC. 18:

$140,000

That there be appropriated from the WORKER'S COMP FUND (124)

That there be appropriated from the INSURANCE RESERVE FUND (125)

Operation & Maintenance

$518,325

TOTAL

$518,325

$0

$518,325

Operation & Maintenance

$100,000

$0

$100,000

TOTAL

$100,000

$0

$100,000

SEC. 19:

SEC. 20:

That there be appropriated from the DEMOLITION DEFENSE FUND (126)

That there be appropriated from the SMALL BUSINESS GRANT FUND (127)

Operation and Maintenance

$159,860

TOTAL

$159,860

SEC. 21:

$60,000

TOTAL

$60,000

$0

$159,860

$60,000
$0

$60,000

That there be appropriated from the REVOLVING LOAN FUND (130)

Operation and Maintenance
TOTAL
Ord. No. 15-23
Page 4 of 6
SEC. 23:

$159,860

That there be appropriated from the PRO PIQUA (128)

Operation and Maintenance

SEC. 22:

$518,325

$13,200
$13,200
2024
BUDGET

$13,200
$0

$13,200
2024 REVISED
BUDGET

That there be appropriated from the COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
FUND (135)

Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses
TOTAL

$420,854
$115,965
($536,819)
$0

$420,854
$115,965
($536,819)
$0

$0

SEC. 24:

That there be appropriated from the AGRICULTURAL
REVOLVING LOAN FUND (142)
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance

$500
$45,000

$500
$45,000

TOTAL
SEC. 25:

$45,500

$45,500

That there be appropriated from the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
REVOLVING LOAN FUND (144)

Operation and Maintenance

$200,000

TOTAL

$200,000

SEC. 26:

$0

$200,000
$0

$200,000

That there be appropriated from the SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DEBT
SERVICE FUND (202)

Operation and Maintenance

$2,000

TOTAL

$2,000

$2,000
$0

$2,000

SEC. 27:

That there be appropriated from the OPWC WASTEWATER LIFT STATIONS
DEBT SERVICE FUND (210)
Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$33,419

TOTAL

$33,419

SEC. 28:

$184,126

TOTAL

$184,126

$295,246

TOTAL

$295,246

$2,303,440

TOTAL

$2,303,440

$0

$184,126

$295,246
$0

$295,246

$2,303,440
$0

$2,303,440

That there be appropriated from the WASTEWATER PLANT ENGINEERING
DEBT SERVICE FUND (257)

Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$2,233,450

TOTAL

$2,233,450

SEC. 32:

$184,126

That there be appropriated from the WATER PLANT OWDA DEBT
SERVICE FUND (256)

Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

SEC. 31:

$33,419

That there be appropriated from the EQUALIZATION TANK '08 NOTE
(OWDA) DEBT SERVICE FUND (254)

Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

SEC. 30:

$0

That there be appropriated from the OFFSITE PIPELINE
(OWDA) DEBT SERVICE FUND (250)

Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

SEC. 29:

$33,419

$2,233,450
$0

$2,233,450

That there be appropriated from the OWDA WATER TOWER DEBT
SERVICE FUND (258)

Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$177,568

$177,568

TOTAL
SEC. 33:

$177,568

$3,278

TOTAL

$3,278

$3,278
$0

$3,278

That there be appropriated from the NONTAX REVENUE BONDS '23
DEBT SERVICE FUND (263)

Non Government/Transfers/Refunds
TOTAL
Ord. No. 15-23
Page 5 of 6
SEC. 35:

$177,568

That there be appropriated from the SHAWNEE STORMWATER PROJECT
DEBT SERVICE FUND (261)

Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

SEC. 34:

$0

$146,157
$146,157
2024
BUDGET

$146,157
$0

$146,157
2024 REVISED
BUDGET

That there be appropriated from the LOCK 9 PARK IMPROVEMENTS FUND (342)

Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)
Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$20,000
$334,237
$226,729

$0

$20,000
$334,237
$226,729

TOTAL

$580,966

$0

$580,966

Operation and Maintenance

$602,152

$0

$602,152

TOTAL

$602,152

$0

$602,152

SEC. 36:

SEC. 37:

That there be appropriated from the SCOTT DR REDEVELOPMENT FUND (343)

That there be appropriated from the POWER SYSTEM FUND (401)

Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)
Overhead Transfers

$2,561,459
$31,624,879
$2,161,075
($175,000)

TOTAL

$36,172,413

SEC. 38:

$0

$36,172,413

That there be appropriated from the WATER SYSTEM FUND (403)

Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)
Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$1,573,923
$3,212,592
$910,833
$2,665,134

TOTAL

$8,362,482

SEC. 39:

$2,561,459
$31,624,879
$2,161,075
($175,000)

$1,573,923
$3,212,592
$910,833
$2,665,134
$0

$8,362,482

That there be appropriated from the WASTEWATER SYSTEM FUND (404)

Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)
Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$1,717,308
$1,924,959
$747,500
$2,562,115

$1,717,308
$1,924,959
$747,500
$2,562,115

TOTAL
SEC. 40:

$6,951,882

$6,951,882

That there be appropriated from the GARBAGE AND REFUSE FUND (405)

Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance

$860,048
$1,391,251

TOTAL

$2,251,299

SEC. 41:

$0

$860,048
$1,391,251
$0

$2,251,299

That there be appropriated from the CITY INCOME TAX
ADMINISTRATION FUND (407)

Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$14,800,000

TOTAL

$14,800,000

$0

$14,800,000

$250,621
$924,211

$0
$0

$250,621
$924,211

$1,174,832

$0

$1,174,832

$988,655
$37,000

$0
$0

$988,655
$37,000

$1,025,655

$0

$1,025,655

Operation & Maintenance
Capital (including labor)

$669,416
$1,370,000

$0

$669,416
$1,370,000

TOTAL

$2,039,416

$0

$2,039,416

SEC. 42:

That there be appropriated from the INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
FUND (408)

Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
TOTAL
SEC. 43:

That there be appropriated from the GOLF COURSE FUND (409)

Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)
TOTAL
SEC. 44:

$14,800,000

That there be appropriated from the FORT PIQUA PLAZA FUND (410)

SEC. 45:
That there be appropriated from the STORMWATER UTILITY FUND (411)
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Capital Outlay (including labor)
Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$289,812
$619,548
$417,250
$3,278

TOTAL
Ord. No. 15-23
Page 6 of 6

$1,329,888
2024
BUDGET

$289,812
$619,548
$417,250
$3,278
$0

$1,329,888
2024 REVISED
BUDGET

SEC. 46:

That there be appropriated from the UTILITIES BUSINESS OFFICE
FUND (413)
Personal Services/Administrative Support
Operation and Maintenance
Allocated Expenses
TOTAL

.

$672,623
$590,558
($1,263,181)
$0

$672,623
$590,558
($1,263,181)
$0

$0

SEC. 47:
That there be appropriated from the UNCLAIMED TRUST (606)
Non Government/Transfers/Refunds

$2,000

TOTAL

$2,000

SEC. 48:
That there be appropriated from the LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST (609)
Operation and Maintenance

$50,000

TOTAL

$50,000

SEC. 49:
That there be appropriated from the CONSERVANCY FUND (611)
Operation and Maintenance

$58,505

TOTAL

$58,505

$2,000
$0

$2,000
$50,000

$0

$50,000
$58,505

$0

$58,505

SEC. 50:

That there be appropriated from the CITY HEALTH INSURANCE
FUND (614)
Operation and Maintenance

$155,000

TOTAL

$155,000

SEC. 51:
Administrative Support

That there be appropriated from the EMPLOYEE FLEXIBLE SPENDING
FUND (615)

TOTAL

$250,000

SEC. 53:
That the sums expended from the appropriations and which are proper charges against any other
department or against any person, firm or corporation which are repaid with the period covered by such appropriations
shall be considered reappropriated for such original purposes; provided, that the net total of expenditures under any
item of said appropriations shall not exceed the amount of the item.
SEC. 54:
That the Director of Finance is hereby authorized and directed to draw her warrant upon the City
Treasury for the amounts appropriated in this order when claims are properly presented and approved, the same to be
chargeable to the appropriations for the year 2024 when passed and legally contracted for in conformity by law.
SEC. 55:
That the Finance Director at the discretion of the City Manager make temporary advances from the
General Fund to any Fund to cover temporary shortages of cash until revenues or permanent transfers become
available to repay that temporary advance. That these advances may not exceed $1,000,000 in the aggregate nor
extend past December 31, 2024; except those that are to be reimbursed by federal, state or other grant programs that
were previously approved by this Commission.
SEC. 56:

That all ordinances, or parts of ordinances, inconsistent with this ordinance be and they are hereby

KRIS LEE, MAYOR

$0

$250,000

SEC. 52:
That the sum appropriated are actual expenditures for goods and services or other government
functions performed in the calendar year 2024. Future commitments representing encumbrances of fund balance or
future receipts will be appropriated in the future year when those services or goods are rendered to the city.

repealed.

$155,000
$155,000

$250,000
$0

$250,000

PASSED:

ATTEST:

CLERK OF COMMISSION

The Motion to adopt the foregoing Ordinance was offered by _____________________________________,
seconded by _____________________________________, and on roll call the following vote ensued:
Mayor Kris Lee

________________

Commissioner Thomas Hohman

________________

Commissioner James Vetter

________________

Commissioner Paul Simmons

________________

Commissioner Frank DeBrosse

________________

Commission Agenda Item # R-116-23
Staff Report
MEETING DATE June 18, 2024
REPORT TITLE A resolution authorizing the City Manager to sign a contract with the company
Cleargov for a budgeting software program.
SUBMITTED BY Jerry O’Brien, City Finance Director
Finance Department
AGENDA
CLASSIFICATION
APPROVALS/REVIEWS

Consent

Ordinance

Resolution

City Manager

Regular

Law Director

Finance Director
BACKGROUND
(Description,
background,
justification)

The annual budgeting process is a complex process that involves the entire
leadership team, Finance staff and multiple staff across all departments. There are
multiple meetings and communications involving the City Manager, the Finance
Department and City leadership to arrive at a first draft. The process takes
approximately 2 months to prepare a draft to present to the City Commission for
their consideration. The draft may then undergo more revisions as the Commission
reviews it. Currently, the City is utilizing multiple Excel spreadsheets to compile
the annual budget. Once the budget is approved, the entire budget must be
entered into the accounting system. This is a very cumbersome process and is
subject to errors due to the large volume of data entry involved by multiple people
as well as formula problems that are an inherent risk of using Excel.
Cleargov is a software solution for compiling and managing the budget creation
process. The multiple Excel files are eliminated as the budget is managed in one
place providing improved control and increased speed over the process. Data entry
is vastly reduced since it allows for direct uploads from and to the accounting
system. It would eliminate many staff hours from the process.
The system has a robust reporting system that will make it easier for the
Commission and the leadership team to view and analyze the budget during the
process.
The contract would start on June 30, 2024 and expire on December 31, 2027.

BUDGET/FINANCIAL Budgeted $:
IMPACT
(Project costs and Expenditure $:
funding sources)
Source of Funds:
Narrative:

$13,987.50 for 2024
$104,505.43 total contract

OPTIONS 1.
(Include deny /approval
option)
2.

Pass the Resolution to authorize the City Manager to sign the contract.
Deny the City Manager authorization to sign the contract

PROJECT TIMELINE Implementation would begin immediately and is expected to be completed in 60 to
90 days.
STAFF Approve the proposed resolution.
RECOMMENDATION
ATTACHMENTS

PREPARED ON
June 6, 2024

PREPARED FOR
Jerald O'Brien
Finance Director
City of Piqua

PREPARED BY
Dennis Maher
ClearGov, Inc.
[email protected]
817-205-9980

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 1 of 36

OUR MISSION

We Create Easy-to-Use Software
to Help local governments Plan and
Budget Better

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 2 of 36

June 6, 2024

Jerald O'Brien
Finance Director
City of Piqua
201 West Water Street
Piqua, Ohio 45356
Dear Jerry,
Per our discussions, I am pleased to provide you and your team at Piqua with the attached software
proposal for your consideration
Our mission at ClearGov is to create easy-to-use, modern software to help local governments plan and
budget better. We make it easy for local governments like yours to operate more efficiently and
communicate more effectively. Our solutions are easy to afford, implement, and use. They don't cause a
lot of upheaval, and they don't force you to reinvent the wheel. ClearGov solutions are designed to be
just right for local governments like Piqua.
We fully appreciate the demands on your time, so I’d like to thank you in advance for the time that you
and your team will spend reviewing this proposal. If you have any questions or need additional
information of any kind, please do not hesitate to ask.
ClearGov is the leading provider of budgeting and planning solutions for local government agencies, so
I am confident that you and your team will be impressed by the ClearGov solutions and even more
impressed by how hard we will work to make you happy.
We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely yours,

Dennis Maher
ClearGov, Inc.
[email protected]
817-205-9980

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 3 of 36

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

5

BUDGET CYCLE MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW

8

PRODUCT SCOPE

27

INVESTMENT

30

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

31

TRAINING & SUPPORT

38

TECHNICAL & SECURITY OVERVIEW

40

FAQs

42

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 4 of 36

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Mission
ClearGov is the leading provider of budgeting and planning solutions for local government agencies.
ClearGov’s mission is to create easy-to-use, modern software that helps local governments plan and
budget better. We believe that every local government should have the opportunity to leverage
technology to operate more efficiently and communicate more effectively. We pursue this mission by
carefully designing solutions that are clear, collaborative, compelling and cost-effective to fuel better
budgeting and drive community support.

Solutions Overview
Based on our conversations with Piqua and our understanding of your key needs and objectives, we are
proposing the following ClearGov solutions:

ClearGov Operational Budgeting
●
●
●
●
●

A robust, yet simple-to-use budgeting solution that is specifically tailored to the needs of local
governments to streamline the budgeting process.
Enables finance teams to easily collaborate in real time
Eliminates spreadsheet errors
Provides visual dashboards for all funds summary and budget to actuals
Enables end-of-year projections and fund balance analytics

ClearGov Personnel Budgeting
●
●
●
●
●

A filterable personnel dashboard provides a birds-eye view of your headcount budget and
enables you to visually compare unlimited personnel budgeting scenarios
Automated workflows streamline position and reclassification requests
Create salary and benefits plans for up to 20 years
Analyze the effects of salary/benefit adjustments for more informed union negotiations
Create and export custom reports to share your personnel budget internally and externally

ClearGov Capital Budgeting
●
●
●
●
●

Utilize built-in templates to easily create customized capital request forms
Automated workflows collect, organize and present capital requests in an intuitive dashboard
with the ability to filter by department, funding source, request type and more
Leverage capital request template forms and create custom forms
Create unlimited multi-year scenario plans to optimize capital utilization
Score and rank capital requests based on custom criteria to prioritize requests

Investment
ClearGov offers solutions that are affordable for local governments of all shapes and sizes. A summary of
your investment in the ClearGov Solutions proposed herein includes:

Setup Service Fees (One time investment)
Setup Fee: Includes - Full activation and setup; Data
onboarding; Client training
Setup Discount: If signed by June 30, 2024
Total Setup Service Fees

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

$8,100
($4,050)
$4,050

Page 5 of 36

Annual Subscription Service Fees (Annual investment)
ClearGov Operational Budgeting

$14,100

ClearGov Personnel Budgeting

$12,800

ClearGov Capital Budgeting

$10,400

Bundle Discount

($9,325)

Total Annual Subscription Service Fees

$27,975

Implementation Plan
You will be assigned an Implementation Manager (IM), who will develop a plan to get your team up
and running that is based on your specific goals and timeline. The ClearGov Onboarding Process will
have a big impact on your overall success with our platform, and as such, it is a team effort between you
and ClearGov that includes three key components:

General Ledger Data Mapping
●

A ClearGov Sr. Data Advisor will format, upload and map your financial data (i.e. revenue and
expense data). Your role is to provide us with a complete set of data files as well as guidance on
how you would like to view the data, and to review and provide feedback along the way. This is
the most important onboarding step as it enables the full use of the budgeting applications.

Training
●

Our products are designed to be intuitive and easy to use, but ClearGov provides a robust set of
self-directed training resources, as well as live custom workshops to share best practices and
help you get the most from our solutions.

Configuration
●

Once trained, you can easily configure the ClearGov platform to meet your specific needs - for
example - by customizing capital request forms; creating wage schedules; selecting the panels
to include in your Transparency Center; etc.

Timeframe
●

We have learned that different customers have different priorities, so the onboarding process
usually takes between 60 - 90 days. If you have a specific deadline, please let me or your
Implementation Manager know, and we’ll get back to you quickly to let you know if it’s possible,
as well as what needs to happen - by when - to achieve that deadline.

Conclusion
In the pages that follow, we’ll explain how and why ClearGov solutions not only offer the best value for
Piqua, but also make your day-to-day operations more efficient, productive, and impactful.
As the leading provider of budgeting and planning solutions, ClearGov is committed to helping local
governments like yours “make democracy work better”. And while that may sound lofty, “democracy” is
simply what you do every day. We just want to help you do it in a modern, data-driven way — a way
that makes your job easier, lightens your load, showcases all the good work that you do, and ultimately
helps you better serve your community.
ClearGov already works with hundreds of local governments, schools, counties and other agencies
across the country, and we’d be delighted to welcome Piqua into the fold. If you have questions or
concerns as you review this proposal, please do not hesitate to reach out. Thank you for your
consideration.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 6 of 36

BUDGET CYCLE MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW
We know that you’re working hard to make your local government run better, and you know that
technology can help you get it done. Unfortunately, most of the gov-tech software on the market right
now is designed for sprawling megacities or state and federal government — not local agencies like
yours. So, these platforms are often complicated, expensive, and loaded with bells and whistles that
you’ll never use. You don’t need a chainsaw to carve a turkey. You simply need the right tool for the job.
ClearGov, the leader in modern budgeting and planning solutions, is built from the ground up
specifically for local governments. It does everything you need it to do. It’s just-right software for
agencies that are looking to take that critical next step toward modernizing their budget process.
Therefore, all ClearGov solutions are:

CLEAR AND EASY TO USE
At ClearGov, everything we do is designed to make complex government data easy
to understand and easy to use, internally and by the public at large. We present
data in readily-understood infographic form, and offer an interface for our internal
tools that’s easy for every staff member to learn and use.

CLOUD-BASED
Web-based software requires no installation, no maintenance and is always
up-to-date. Plus, it gives local governments the ability to quickly adjust to evolving
input and changing dynamics. We host our software and our data with Amazon
Web Services, which ensures data security and world-class software performance.

CONNECTED
All ClearGov solutions share a common data set and work together seamlessly. Plus,
when you’re ready to implement, we do all the heavy lifting for you. To get started,
all you have to do is send us an Excel file with your financial data, and we’ll onboard
it for you.

COLLABORATIVE
ClearGov solutions are designed to improve collaboration and efficiency by
automating processes and outcomes. Streamlining the collaborative process is vital
to prevent key items from falling through the cracks. Centralization and remote
access to documents, systems and processes is mission-critical.

COST EFFECTIVE
ClearGov is built and priced for local governments. Our packages are all-inclusive, so
you’ll never be charged extra for per-seat licenses, never be surprised with hidden
fees, and never pay for support or product updates...never.

Our goal is to delight our customers with unbeatable value in everything we do.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 7 of 36

Budget Better Together
ClearGov Operational Budgeting is a suite of
flexible, cloud-based budgeting, forecasting and
fund balance modules designed to leverage your
existing financial data into a more efficient and
collaborative budget building process that
streamlines communication with department
heads and other budget stakeholders.
It is a one-stop shop to dynamically forecast what-if
scenarios, build a budget and communicate
budgeting rationale. Designed specifically for local
governments and school districts, ClearGov
Operational Budgeting is a giant step forward from
building your budgets and forecasts with Excel or
the legacy accounting system budgeting tools.
Watch a 5 minute micro-demo here

✔ Budget Dashboard

✔ Departmental Collaboration

✔ All Funds Summary

✔ End of Year Projections

✔ Automated Audit Trail

✔ Integrated Report Builder

✔ Budget to Actuals Charts

✔ Fund Balance Metrics

✔ Unlimited Budgets

✔ Multi-Year Forecasting, and more...

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 8 of 36

Budget Builder
ClearGov’s Budget Builder helps your staff budget
better, together. Using a single, shared online
workspace, financial executives, committee members,
and department heads can collaborate on building a
budget using an efficient tool that’s been designed
specifically to meet the budgeting needs of local
governments.
●

Choose your baseline: Base your budget on last
year’s data, on a simple-to-generate budget
forecast (see below) or use zero-based budgeting.

●

Collaborate effectively: ClearGov Budgets makes it easy to manage, merge, track and review
budget requests and changes as a team, every step of the way.

●

Create unlimited budgets: Create multiple budgets every year across different funds or for the
same fund. You can even build out what-if scenarios.

●

Add notes and supporting material: Comments and supporting documents are easily
attached directly to line items so they are readily available for reference.

●

Keep a thorough audit trail: Automatically track every change, comment, and version so you
always know who changed what and when.

●

Build custom reports with a click: Easily create and export custom reports to share your
operational budget with internal and external stakeholders and existing systems.

●

Operational Budget Dashboard: Quickly see and share the status of your budget-building
process. Filter on current and historical financial data. Automatically aggregate all budget
requests in one place.

All Funds Summary
With ClearGov’s automated All Funds Summary
dashboard, you can easily review your holistic budget. No
more switching between spreadsheet tabs or scrolling
screen by screen to get the full picture.
●

Automated Summary: View your budget across
all funds via an interactive, visual dashboard.

●

Toggle Your Views: Filter and sort functionality is
built-in. You can toggle your view by fund,
department or object.

●

All Funds Summary Export: Online collaborators will have access to the All Funds Dashboard,
and with one click, you can export a full report to Excel, CSV or PDF.

.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 9 of 36

End of Year Projections
As your fiscal year progresses or as the fiscal year-end
approaches, your collaborators can submit end-of-year
projections. ClearGov automatically updates your
projected fund balances to help you make more informed
decisions for next year’s budget.
●

EOY Collection: Seamlessly include an
“End-of-Year Projection” column in your budget
workspace. Default to previous year’s numbers or
zero-balance.

●

Fund Balance Analysis: Utilize interactive charts to give your finance team new perspectives
and insights on your projected Fund Balances.

●

Pin Your Chart: Your collaborators can pin their fund balance chart to their workspace to see
live updates as they work through their budget requests entry.

Why does Piqua need this?
●

Improve accuracy: Nearly 9 out of 10 spreadsheets contain errors. Finding those mistakes and
fixing them can be frustrating and wastes precious time. But ClearGov is cloud-based, so
everybody works on the same error-free master file vs. a multiple spreadsheet monster that has
to be managed and merged manually.

●

Collaborate more effectively: ClearGov allows everyone involved to work from the same
platform, share comments and suggestions, and immediately see the impact across the
organization — in real time — as budget development unfolds.

●

Free up time and resources: Preparing the annual budget consumes a big chunk of your time,
but it's not the only thing you do. Modernizing your budgeting process will free up your time
and talent to focus on other critical projects as well.

●

Make better budgeting decisions: ClearGov’s dynamic, graphical interface helps you clearly
visualize historical trends — at a glance — so you can readily identify areas that are consistently
under or over budget and make adjustments accordingly.

●

Plan for the long term: Access to an AI-driven forecasting tool enables you to better assess how
budget decisions made today will impact revenues and expenditures down the road. Create
multiple forecasts to better plan for “best case” or “worst case” scenarios.

●

Identify areas of potential overspend/prevent waste: With instant, easy access to
benchmarking data, you can uncover areas for savings quickly and adjust your budget
accordingly.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 10 of 36

Modern Personnel Planning
Chances are that people represent the biggest
chunk of your annual budget, and it’s also the most
complicated. ClearGov’s Personnel Budgeting
solution enables you to throw away those massive
spreadsheets that you’ve been managing by hand
and streamlines the entire personnel planning and
forecasting process in a single, cloud-based,
collaborative solution.
Complete with powerful tools to manage position
requests, inform union negotiations and much
more, ClearGov’s Personnel Budgeting application is
a unique software platform built specifically to help
finance directors more easily budget for salaries,
benefits and other personnel costs.
Watch a 5 minute micro-demo here

✔ Personnel Dashboard

✔ Union Negotiation Planning

✔ Position Request Manager

✔ Multi-year Position Budgeting

✔ Vacancy Planning

✔ Integrated Report Builder

✔ Unlimited Scenario Planning

✔ And more...

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 11 of 36

Personnel Request Manager
The ClearGov Personnel Budgeting solution enables you
to quickly and easily setup and organize your personnel
data, collective bargaining rules, open positions and
more. Automated workflow tools enable you to capture
position requests in a digital format and automatically
incorporate these changes into your personnel planning
model.
●

Position Management: Easily import all people,
positions and units from your accounting system
and set up rules for steps, lanes, benefits, overtime
and more.

●

Digital Request Forms: Stop using paper or Excel request forms. Enable department heads to
submit new position requests using digital request forms, and all data is automatically
captured within your personnel plan.

●

Request Manager: Manage all new position requests from one table. Easily see the details of
each request, add comments for the requester, and take other actions on the request. Requests
can be included in scenarios to see the impact of new positions as you build your personnel
budget.

Personnel Planning
ClearGov Personnel Budgeting provides a powerful yet
intuitive set of tools to review, plan, compare and
communicate multiple personnel plan scenarios to help
you make smart decisions about your team and your
budget. Compare and contrast single year or multi-year
budgets. Easily alter any of your key assumptions to
examine unlimited what-if scenarios.
●

Data and Rules Manager: Intuitive tools enable
you to set up and manage key assumptions and
rules by position or by CBA unit.

●

Scenario Planning: Seamlessly create unlimited,
personnel budget scenarios based on applicable rules and assumptions by unit, by position or
by individual.

●

Union Negotiations: Analyze the effects of adjustments to salaries and benefits for more
informed negotiations.

●

Vacancy Planning: Get a complete picture of your current and future workforce budget; create
and fill vacant positions on specified dates.

●

Multi-Year Planning: Automatically create salary and benefit plans for up to 20 years in the
future.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 12 of 36

Personnel Dashboard
ClearGov Personnel Budgeting rolls up all of your critical
information into an easy-to-read, graphical dashboard to help
you immediately see the impact of key decisions and share
these insights with the rest of your team in a common
cloud-based environment.
●

Robust Filtering: Immediately see the impact on
your headcount plans from multiple angles. Filter
your personnel dashboard by department, job type,
position, unit, and more.

●

Report Builder: Create and export custom reports to
share your workforce budget with internal and external stakeholders and existing systems.

Why does Piqua need this?
●

Scrap the Spreadsheets: Get rid of those massive personnel planning spreadsheets and stop
sorting through emails to find the right update. Best of all, eliminate those tedious spreadsheet
errors that take hours and hours of precious time to find and fix. ClearGov is cloud-based, so
everybody works on the same error-free master file vs. a multiple spreadsheet monster.

●

Accurate forecasts: More accurately forecast personnel expenses, including salaries, benefits
and other ancillary compensation such as overtime to help you make better, fact-based
decisions today.

●

Critical insights: Leverage scenario planning to understand the true impact of key labor
contract negotiations, plan for vacancies, furloughs and more.

●

Save time and effort: Manage new position and reclassification requests more efficiently and
incorporate those changes directly into your planning.

●

Streamline Budget Reviews: Share your dashboard and key reports with internal and external
stakeholders for review, feedback and approval. With all of the relevant information in one
place, your budget review meetings will be a snap.

●

Synchronized budgeting: ClearGov’s Personnel Budgeting also syncs directly with ClearGov
Operational Budgeting to further streamline your overall annual budgeting process.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 13 of 36

Smart Capital Planning
Capital planning doesn’t have to be complicated and
it definitely doesn’t need to be manual. It’s time to get
rid of those hard copy capital request forms and move
your entire capital planning process into the digital
age.
ClearGov Capital Budgeting is the first cloud-based
capital improvement planning (CIP) solution
specifically designed for local governments that
streamlines requests, provides a multi-year scenario
optimization process, and generates website-based
pages automatically for each capital improvement.
Watch a 7 minute micro-demo here

✔ Capital Budgeting Dashboard

✔ Unlimited Contributors

✔ Capital Request Manager

✔ Project Request Templates

✔ Request Scoring & Ranking

✔ Integrated Report Builder

✔ Unlimited Scenario Planning

✔ And more…

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

Page 14 of 36

Capital Requests
The Capital Request function is a dashboard-driven tool
that automates and optimizes the process of collecting,
organizing, and reporting capital requests across all
departments and automatically populates your capital
plan. Think of it as a modern, digital-first solution to an
age-old, paper problem.
●

Digitize your requests: Save some trees with a
simple online form that captures and submits
requests electronically.

●

Customize your form(s): Easily customize the default templates with a few simple clicks to
precisely fit your needs and preferences. Create as many different form types as you need.

●

Automate your workflow: Initiate, collect, track, and manage all your requests online, even set
triggered reminders for department heads.

●

Digital audit trail: Your department heads can easily attach pictures, PDFs, and other
supplemental materials to their digital request form. These materials travel with the request, so
they’re always just a click away.

●

View capital requests at a glance: Report and review requests by department, funding source,
fiscal year, and more — all from an intuitive dashboard.

Scenario Planning
All capital request data is automatically integrated into
the Scenarios functionality. Powerful but simple tools
enable you to easily and visually identify how your
expected funding matches up against all of the requests.
Scenarios makes it point-and-click easy to examine
multiple scenarios to help you make insightful decisions
about which projects you need and can afford to fund.
●

Unlimited Scenarios: Easily create, analyze and
compare multiple scenario plans to propose and
optimize your capital budget - both near and
long term.

●

Scoring and Ranking: Assign priorities and ratings to each project based on how they directly
impact your key strategic initiatives.

●

Shift Funding Assumptions: Can’t afford to completely fund a project in one year...no problem.
ClearGov Capital Budgeting enables you to spread funding assumptions across multiple years
and explore multi-year what-if scenarios.

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Capital Budgeting Dashboard
The Capital Budgeting dashboard centralizes everything
you need to plan and present your budget and provide
deeper insight into capital requests. Use filters to visualize
the data from multiple angles while you review capital
costs, funding sources, operational costs, cost savings and
project revenue.
●

Robust Filtering: Immediately see the impact of
capital requests on your budget from multiple
angles. Filter your dashboard by department,
year, request type and more.

●

Auto-generated graphs: View your capital budget data with auto-generated charts that can be
downloaded instantly to be used in presentations or shared with stakeholders.

●

Analyze Requests: Easily click on a request to drill down into the details to see pictures,
attachments and a cost breakdown.

Why does Piqua need this?
●

It’s so much more efficient: The sooner you automate out-dated manual processes, the more
efficiently you can govern. Once you streamline the tedious task of organizing your capital
requests, you’ll have more time and energy to invest in one of the most critical components of
good governance — strategic planning.

●

Eliminate the paper chase: Instead of chasing down paper requests and slogging through the
data entry process, you can kick off each new request cycle with a click.

●

Critical insights: Leverage scenario planning to understand the true impact of key capital
projects in both the short term and over time.

●

Shine a spotlight on community development: A good chunk of every tax dollar funds
important CIPs in your community — things like new construction, improvements to
infrastructure, and other key initiatives. Keep residents (and the press) informed about the
issues they care about most.

●

Synchronized budgeting: ClearGov’s Capital Budgeting syncs directly with ClearGov
Operational Budgeting to further streamline your overall annual budgeting process. Capital
Budgeting also syncs with and automatically generates a capital request summary with detail
pages for each department/request for your ClearGov Digital Budget Book.

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PRODUCT SCOPE
In the interest of transparency, we want to provide guidance around the scope of usage that is included
with each ClearGov solution. The tables below do not provide a detailed list of every feature and/or
function included in the product. These tables provide a summary of the key things that you can do
with each solution once your account has been activated.

ClearGov Operational Budgeting - Product Scope
Once your data has been onboarded, ClearGov Operational Budgeting enables Piqua team members to
execute a variety of tasks, as outlined in the table below. ClearGov products are designed to be easy to
use and intuitive, and with the training we provide, you should have all the expertise you need to fully
leverage the platform.

Service Description

In Scope

Create Forecasts: Auto generate one or more forecasts for each
of your funds. Modify forecasts based on what-if scenarios
adjust parameters as needed.

Unlimited forecasts

Create Budgets: Create one or more budgets for each of your
applicable funds. Invite collaborators, iteratively build the
budget and share with reviewers.

Unlimited budgets

Export Budgets to ERP: Export your final budget(s) from
ClearGov in order to import directly into your accounting
system / ERP. NOTE: Depending on your ERP, your export file
may require formatting prior to import.

Export Format:Excel; .CSV file

ClearGov Personnel Budgeting - Product Scope
Once you have uploaded your position and personnel data, ClearGov Personnel Budgeting enables
Piqua team members to execute a variety of tasks, as outlined in the table below. ClearGov products are
designed to be easy to use and intuitive, and with the training we provide, you should have all the
expertise you need to fully leverage the platform.

Description

In Scope

Personnel Request Forms: Create forms for your contributors to
submit personnel requests.

Unlimited personnel request
forms

Personnel Data Import: Import personnel and position data
into your personnel plan.

Unlimited positions and
personnel

Personnel Scenario Planning: Input and adjust key rules and
assumptions to create and analyze personnel budget scenarios.

Unlimited scenario planning

ClearGov Capital Budgeting - Product Scope
Once your subscription is activated, ClearGov Capital Budgeting enables Piqua team members to
execute a variety of tasks, as outlined in the table below. ClearGov products are designed to be easy to

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use and intuitive, and with the training we provide, you should have all the expertise you need to fully
leverage the platform.

Description

In Scope

Capital Request Forms: Create forms for your contributors to
submit capital requests.

Unlimited capital request forms

Capital Request Imports: Import existing capital requests to
your capital plan and/or present in your budget book.

Unlimited capital requests

Capital Scenario Planning: Input and adjust capital funding
assumptions to create and analyze capital budget scenarios.

Unlimited scenario planning

INVESTMENT
Our pricing model matches our products - simple, straightforward and built for local governments.

Setup Fee:
●

A one-time investment that covers setup, activation, data onboarding and initial training —
everything you need to get launched.

Solution Subscription:
●

A flat annual investment covers unlimited access and usage of your ClearGov solution and
includes unlimited support from your dedicated Client Success Manager.

That’s it. We don’t charge extra for seat licenses or updates or ongoing support or professional services
or anything else, so there are absolutely no hidden fees. See the table below for a complete breakdown
of what’s included.

Setup Service Fees (One time investment)
Setup Fee: Includes - Full activation and setup; Data
onboarding; Client training
Setup Discount: If signed by June 30, 2024
Total Setup Service Fees

$8,100
($4,050)
$4,050

Annual Subscription Service Fees (Annual investment)
ClearGov Operational Budgeting

$14,100

ClearGov Personnel Budgeting

$12,800

ClearGov Capital Budgeting

$10,400

Bundle Discount

($9,325)

Total Annual Subscription Service Fees

$27,975

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IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Overview
The ClearGov onboarding process is designed to activate and set up your ClearGov solution. We have
designed the process to be as straightforward as possible. Yes - there are some things you’ll have to do,
but the effort is likely to be much less than other software implementations you have experienced in
the past. With your specific goals and budget timeline in mind, your Implementation Manager will
develop a plan and guide you through what needs to be done to get you and your team up and
running. The Implementation Manager will work with you and ClearGov’s internal experts to achieve
onboarding milestones.

Roles & Responsibilities
Effectively and efficiently completing the onboarding process requires a small group of people - from
both ClearGov and Piqua - with specific roles and responsibilities, as follows. NOTE: For some customers,
one person may play multiple roles.

Piqua Team
●
●

●
●

Executive Sponsor: Champions the implementation and rollout of ClearGov inside Piqua.
Removes roadblocks and acts as the escalation point if the onboarding process stalls.
Primary Contact: Go-to person at Piqua who is the main liaison with ClearGov’s
Implementation Manager. Responsible for scheduling meetings and ensuring the right people
from the organization attend.
Data Exporter: The person responsible for exporting financial data from your ERP / Accounting
System and providing Account ID structure information.
Data Reviewer: The person responsible for reviewing and approving data maps and how your
data displays within the ClearGov platform.

ClearGov Team
●

●

Implementation Manager (IM): Overall Project Manager for onboarding. Responsible for
driving meetings as required and guiding you through the onboarding process. Ensures
alignment with what needs to be done and who needs to do it.
Sr. Data Advisor: ClearGov’s full-service Data Advisor team is made up of former local
government finance officials, so they have been in your shoes. Your Sr. Data Advisor is

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●

●
●

●

responsible for uploading and categorizing your financial data. They will work closely with the
Data Reviewer to complete data mapping.
Training & Enablement Specialist: A ClearGov team member who is deeply familiar with
ClearGov products and has developed on-demand educational material available in ClearGov’s
Support Center. This person will lead training workshops as necessary for users.
Client Success Manager (CSM): Your Client Success Manager is responsible for making sure
you achieve your objectives and have ongoing success using the ClearGov platform.
ClearGov Support Team ([email protected]): Everyone on this team understands how
ClearGov products work and can answer questions to help you complete a task. The ClearGov
Support team is available for technical assistance for all ClearGov customers.
ClearGov Data Team ([email protected]): The ClearGov Data Team is responsible for adding
new or updating existing data after the initial onboarding is complete. NOTE: Most members of
our Data Team are former financial officials as well.

Data Onboarding Timeline
We have successfully onboarded over a thousand customers, so we know that different organizations
have different objectives and deadlines. Some of our customers want/need to implement as quickly as
possible and make ClearGov their #1 priority. Other customers take a more relaxed approach and fit
ClearGov in among other projects. As a result, the onboarding process typically stretches across 60 - 90
days, which allows enough time for us to collaborate and complete the important tasks mentioned in
the next section.

Typical Onboarding Timeline

IMPORTANT - Meeting Your Deadline: We are happy to work at whatever pace fits your needs, and we
recognize that in certain circumstances, you may require an expedited onboarding process. If you have
a specific deadline in mind, please inform your Solutions Advisor or Implementation Manager as soon
as possible. We will do our best to meet your deadline (we don’t miss many of them), and we’ll let you
know exactly what we need from you - and when - in order to hit your objective.

Data Onboarding Phases & Tasks
The onboarding process has six phases, as outlined below. Some of these phases overlap and can occur
concurrently to reduce the duration of onboarding. Furthermore, once your product subscriptions are
activated you are able to use the product(s) immediately to complete various setup & configuration
tasks while your general ledger data is being uploaded and mapped.

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Phase 1: Discover
The Discover phase is the initial period when you and ClearGov develop a shared understanding of your
goals, specific data requirements & structure, budget cycle timeline, and onboarding plan. Depending
upon schedules and availability, the Discover phase - in conjunction with the Prepare phase - usually
lasts 2 to 4 weeks, starting when you sign the ClearGov service order and your Solutions Advisor
connects you with your Implementation Manager.
The key objectives during the Discover phase include:
● Share Goals: During the Kickoff call, your Implementation Manager will review and verify the
goals you discussed with the Solutions Advisor during the sales process.
● Confirm Key Milestones & Dates: This information will be used as input to the onboarding
project plan and to ensure that everyone has common expectations.
● Define Launch Requirements: The Implementation Manager will guide you through exactly
what needs to be completed prior to launching ClearGov applications.

Task

Responsibility

Notes

Product subscription
activation

ClearGov

ClearGov will activate your subscription in accordance with
the Start Date listed in your Service Order. ClearGov will
create your Client Admin user, who can then access the
platform and add additional (unlimited) users as necessary.

Kickoff & Data
Discovery calls

ClearGov &
Client

The IM will schedule two separate 30 - 60 minute Zoom
sessions with your team.
The first call is to discuss key objectives and the timeline for
onboarding. Your Primary Contact along with anyone else
who would like to be involved should attend this meeting.
The second is with a ClearGov Sr. Data Advisor to
understand your financial data and collect information for
categorizing that data. Your Primary Contact, Data
Exporter, and Data Reviewer should attend this meeting.

Complete
Implementation
Worksheet

ClearGov &
Client

The IM will share a worksheet with a few questions to help
us better understand your specific needs and timeline.

Assemble teams and
resources

ClearGov &
Client

Identify and assemble the necessary individuals - on both
teams - to participate in onboarding.

Create project plan
with timeline

ClearGov

The IM will develop the timeline and project plans and will
review these with your Primary Contact.

Phase 2: Prepare
The Prepare phase focuses mainly on helping ClearGov understand how you categorize your financial
data and what changes may be necessary in order to display data the way you prefer within the
ClearGov platform. During the Prepare phase, we will ask you to export financial data from your ERP or
accounting system and provide information on your account code structure.

Task
Data Onboarding
learning path

Responsibility

Notes

Client

We will share material to help you understand the ClearGov
data onboarding requirements, as well as how certain
choices will affect how your data can be displayed within
the ClearGov platform.

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Scope data
implementation

ClearGov

We will ask you to verify how many years of historical data
you wish to include in the platform along with which
budget and actual versions you want to onboard.

Export Financial
Data

Client

We will ask you to export financial data from your ERP /
accounting system, and we will provide data format
requirements.

Provide mapping
information

Client

We will ask you to provide guidance about how to
categorize line items based on the structure of your
Account IDs, i.e. help us understand your Account ID
segment codes.

Review and clarify
data

ClearGov

ClearGov will review your data files let you know if we have
clarifying questions.

Phase 3: Map & Review
ClearGov offers a full-service data onboarding process that includes formatting, uploading, and
mapping your financial (i.e. general ledger revenue and expense) data. This is the most important step
of the onboarding process because that data is what enables the full use of our budgeting applications.
The Sr. Data Advisor will complete the onboarding work while relying on you to provide a complete set
of data files and your feedback along the way. We will need you to attend a few calls, review the
mapping and provide timely feedback. It is our goal to make sure your financial data is presented
through the ClearGov applications in the way you want.

Task

Responsibility

Notes

Upload and map
financial data

ClearGov

ClearGov full-service data onboarding includes
formatting and uploading your financial (revenue and
expense) data and mapping each line item into categories
such as fund, department, revenue source, objects, etc.

Review initial
mapping

ClearGov &
Client

We will review your initial mapping in a Mapping Review
call and develop a strategy for you to provide feedback.

Provide feedback
and iterate initial
mapping

ClearGov &
Client

If necessary, we will create a mapping feedback form for
you to fill out and return to us. We will make mapping
revisions based on your feedback.

Review mapping
in-product

ClearGov &
Client

We will review how data flows into key product areas and
how you can change how your data looks using product
settings. If no initial mapping revisions are required, this
process can happen in the initial Mapping Review call.

Product-specific
settings

ClearGov &
Client

During the in-product review, we will discuss how specific
product settings can impact the presentation of your data,
e.g. Digital Budget Book best practices for creating
department pages with a consistent look.

Phase 4: Train & Configure
Administrators can begin learning how to use ClearGov as well as configure application settings while
your data is being mapped. We have developed comprehensive courses that provide you with
step-by-step instructions on how to configure ClearGov. Your IM will recommend a custom learning
path based on the products you have purchased.

Task

Responsibility

Notes

Administrators &
editors begin
learning path and

ClearGov &
Client

Your IM will recommend and enroll you in ClearGov
Academy courses to help you meet your goals. Courses are
broken down into a variety of product-specific educational

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explore help
resources

Admin & Editor
Workshops

elements (e.g. videos, articles, quizzes) for easy
consumption. Login to ClearGov Academy and begin your
learning path, and log in to ClearGov and explore our
Support Center resources.
ClearGov &
Client

Configure
applications

Client

Schedule and complete product workshops, as required.
(See note below for additional details.) This is custom,
instructor led training, so please come prepared with
specific workflow questions.
Complete configurations in selected applications, including
adding non-general ledger data, e.g. capital requests and
employee information. See below for an outline of
application-specific configurations that you can utilize to
customize your ClearGov experience.
Your IM will provide you with guidance and best practices
on how to utilize these configurations.

Add users to the
system

Client

In the User Management application, add all potential
users to the system. Adding all users here makes it easy to
select the appropriate people when it comes time to
request budget input and review from your team.

ClearGov Workshops Overview
ClearGov’s products are designed to be easy to use and our learning resources are robust. As a result,
you may not need a Workshop for all products. If you want one, here are our guidelines:
● ClearGov will provide a Workshop for each product in your subscription.
● ClearGov Workshops may be attended by both Administrators and Editors.
● ClearGov Workshops are designed to answer your specific questions about how to use
ClearGov’s solutions to meet your specific needs. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you
complete the ClearGov Academy courses prior to attending a ClearGov Workshop.
● All Workshops are recorded for your ongoing reference and team access.

Phase 5: Promote & Educate
ClearGov products are built to foster collaboration during the budget development process. So, we
want to make sure your entire team knows how to get the most from our platform.

Task

Responsibility

Notes

Introduce ClearGov
to colleagues

ClearGov &
Client

Department Heads
complete learning
paths

Client

Your IM will recommend ClearGov Academy courses for
your Department Heads and other users of ClearGov based
on the products included in your subscription. Your IM will
also recommend other resources available through our
learning center to ensure your Department Heads are set
up for success with ClearGov.

Department Head
Workshop

ClearGov &
Client

Schedule and complete product workshops, as required.
(See note above for additional details.) This is custom,
instructor led training, so please come prepared with
specific workflow questions.

Your IM will work with you to customize materials (email
messaging and supporting materials) to send to key
stakeholders in your organization.

Phase 6: Ready to Go
With your onboarding process complete, the Piqua team will be well-prepared to build and present
your budget. At this point, your Implementation Manager will introduce your ClearGov Client Success
Team, including your Client Success Manager, who will provide ongoing support.

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Task

Responsibility

Notes

Client Success
Manager assigned

ClearGov

ClearGov will assign a dedicated Client Success Manager
(CSM). Your CSM will become your primary point of contact
to provide coaching, share best practices, and ensure
continued success with your ClearGov platform.

Post-Onboarding
Review call

ClearGov &
Client

Your IM will coordinate a call with your new CSM and your
Primary Contact to do a final review of any outstanding
onboarding tasks as well as to gather your feedback to
highlight if any part of the process could have been
executed better.

Communicate
Support & Data
Request process

ClearGov

Your IM will provide instructions on how to contact our
Support Team if you have questions or run into a technical
issue as well as instructions on how to submit data uploads
or modification requests to the Data Team.

Application-Specific Configuration
Below is a summary of the key elements that can be configured by the Client for each applicable
ClearGov product. Product configuration is your opportunity to customize the ClearGov application to
your specific needs and preferences. We have done our best to make each process as intuitive as
possible, and we’ll be there to show you how, if you have questions.

Capital Budgeting
●
●
●

Capital Request Forms: You can customize the existing ClearGov capital request templates
and/or create your own.
Scorecard Settings: You can modify the default Capital Budgeting scorecard settings to help
you prioritize capital projects.
Contributors: Assign individual users to the Capital Budgeting product to enable them to
submit Capital Requests.

Personnel Budgeting
●

●
●

Data Model Manager: To create an accurate personnel budget, you will need to enter key data
into the Personnel Budgeting Data Model. NOTE: This is different from the financial data that
ClearGov will onboard and map for you. The recommended configuration process includes:
○ Units: Add Units to group your employees. Units are often affiliated with a union or
collective bargaining unit.
○ Wage Schedules: Establish Wage Schedules to account for all job types, unit affiliation,
salaries, etc.
○ Additional Pay & Benefits: Add Additional Pay and Benefits details, such as healthcare,
overtime, etc. for each job type.
Employees: Once the Data Model has been configured, you can import specific employee
information - both for existing employees and planned hires.
Contributors: Assign individual users to the Personnel Budgeting product to enable them to
submit Personnel Requests.

Operational Budgeting
●
●

Contributors: Assign budget categories and line items to applicable department heads to
kick-off your annual budget request process.
Reviewers: Assign and give review access to key stakeholders, i.e. board members, finance
committee, etc.

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Data Requirements
ClearGov’s Onboarding process is focused on getting your most complex data up and running on the
ClearGov platform. In a nutshell, this means your financial (i.e. general ledger revenue and expense)
data - both current and historical information. This data should be readily exportable from any
accounting/ERP system. We have partnered with a few vendors to include an “Export to ClearGov”
button in their solutions and for some others we can provide detailed export instructions. Your IM will
let you know what is available based on the accounting/ERP system you use. Your IM will also provide
you with a more detailed document explaining data requirements. The highlights are outlined below.

Data Onboarding Requirements by Product
Product
Operational Budgeting
Personnel Budgeting
Capital Budgeting
Digital Budget Book
ClearPlans*
Transparency

Chart of
Accounts

Revenue & Expenditure Data

✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅

Actual

✅

Budgeted

Checkbook
Detail

✅

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

✅
✅
✅

✅
✅
✅

N/A
N/A

✅

*NOTE: For ClearPlans, Data Onboarding is only required if you intend to allocate budget categories to
specific objectives within your plan.

Data Onboarding Detail
Actual Revenues & Expenditures
● The majority of clients sent us 4 to 6 years, however, there is no limit
● By providing more years, trend charts will be more robust
● Current FY budget data is used as the basis to create the next FY budget.
Budgeted Revenue & Expenditures
● Current and upcoming
● Past years to display budget-to-actuals (optional)
Check Level Detail (ClearGov Transparency Only, Optional)
● If you wish to use the Open Checkbook feature in ClearGov Transparency
● Your data must include check-level detail for the most recent fiscal year with as much historical
data as you prefer
Line Item Detail File(s)
● Line-item level revenue and expense data. Depending on which accounting system you use, all
years may be exported in one file or there may be a file created for each year.
● Each line item should include full account number, account description, fund and dollar
amount. We will also need to know the associated fiscal year and if the line item is tied to
revenue or expense.
● Depending upon which accounting system you’re using, this is often referred to as the Trial
Balance Report; Account Inquiry Report; or Budget-to-Actual Report.
Account Number Key
● This is simply an explanation of your account number structure.

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●
●

An account number is made up of segments and for each segment we need to know its
purpose (i.e. whether it refers to a fund, a department, an object, etc.).
Most accounting systems enable you to run a report to generate this information. It’s often
called a Segment Report or Chart of Accounts. If yours does not, just let us know. The ClearGov
data team has successfully uploaded data for hundreds of clients and will work with you to
determine the best options.

How much data should we provide?
In short, it depends on which product(s) you plan to use:
● Operational Budgeting: Should provide budgeted data for the current fiscal year and any
historical budgeted/actual data you would like to be able to view/compare when you are
building your next budget. NOTE: The Forecasting module uses historical data to build
forecasts, so the more historical data you provide, the better your forecasts will be.
● Digital Budget Book: Should provide budgeted and actual data for any fiscal year that you
wish to present in your digital budget, typically 3-5 years.
● ClearPlans: If you intend to allocate budget to specific objectives, you should provide budgeted
data for the fiscal year that you wish to present in your applicable plan.
● Transparency: Provide any budgeted and actual data for fiscal years that you wish to present
within your Transparency profile. Generally, we recommend presenting at least 4 years of data
to be able to show trend analysis over time, but we can upload as many years as you provide.

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TRAINING & SUPPORT
ClearGov solutions are designed to be intuitive and easy-to-use. With that said, ClearGov’s training
materials and support channels are designed to ensure that you and your team can successfully
launch, adopt and optimize the value you receive from the ClearGov platform. We will share how to
accomplish tasks, key insights and best practices.

Training
For starters, we have developed comprehensive courses that provide you with step-by-step instructions
on how to configure and use ClearGov. Your Implementation Manager (IM) will recommend and enroll
you and your team in ClearGov Academy courses to help meet your goals. Courses are broken down
into a variety of product-specific educational elements (e.g. videos, articles, quizzes) for easy
consumption.

ClearGov Workshops
In addition, instructor led training is available in workshop format. ClearGov Workshops are designed to
answer your specific questions about how to use ClearGov’s solutions to meet your specific needs.
Therefore, it is highly recommended that Workshop Attendees complete the ClearGov Academy
courses prior to attending a ClearGov Workshop. ClearGov will provide a remotely-delivered Workshop
for each product in your subscription. ClearGov Workshops may be attended by both Administrators/
Editors and Department Heads/Contributors. All Workshops are recorded for future reference and to
train new hires.

Support Center
All ClearGov users have access to a frequently updated online Support Center filled with hundreds of
how-to articles, video tutorials and information sheets. The ClearGov Support Center is easy to navigate
and has a robust search engine to quickly find help on a specific topic.

Client Success Manager
When the onboarding process is complete, the IM will introduce you to your Client Success Manager
(CSM). Your CSM is available by phone and email and will work with you to get the most out of
ClearGov’s platform. CSMs are generally available 9:00AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday (excluding
holidays). Your CSM will inform you of their specific availability. Our CSMs are committed to responding
to all inquiries within one business day, and in most cases, you will receive a same-day response.

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ClearGov Support & Data Team
For questions on how to use ClearGov or to report a technical issue, you will be able to reach a Support
Specialist via [email protected] during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 8:00PM
Eastern). Our Support Team is committed to responding to all inquiries within one business day, and in
most cases, you will receive a same-day response.
For data updates, we ask that you send data files along with detailed instructions on what you’d like us
to update to [email protected]. Our standard lead time to complete an update is five business days.
However, if you need an update completed sooner to meet a deadline, just let us know. Straightforward
uploads or changes often are completed within one or two business days.

Product Enhancement Requests
We absolutely love hearing from our Customers - especially when they have ideas that would make our
products better. In fact, we meet weekly to go over all the feedback we’ve received to provide key input
to our product roadmap. Many of the applications and features in ClearGov’s solution are the direct
result of client feedback. When you have a request for a product enhancement, please submit your
idea(s) to [email protected] or inform your CSM and they will bring it up at our weekly meeting.
We prioritize product enhancements primarily based on the number of clients who are requesting
similar functionality, so we can’t guarantee that your ideas will go to the top of the list, but we promise
that we’ll always listen, and we work hard to make 100% of our customers happy.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

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TECHNICAL & SECURITY OVERVIEW
ClearGov Hosting Platform
The ClearGov platform is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world leader in cloud computing
as a service. Used by the Departments of Justice, Defense, and Homeland Security, AWS is one of only
three vendors that have been granted government authorization to store highly sensitive federal data
on its cloud-computing servers.
AWS handles systems, network architecture, and security, enabling ClearGov to focus on what it does
best — developing world-class solutions for local governments. With ISO 27001 and FISMA-certified
data centers, AWS has made platform security its highest priority in order to protect customers’ critical
information and applications.
Another key​advantage of hosting on the AWS cloud is that it allows ClearGov to easily scale and
innovate, while maintaining all security protections across the entire infrastructure.

How secure is ClearGov?
Hosting with AWS ensures that ClearGov maintains the highest security standards in the world:
● Web application firewalls control access to the underlying code
● AWS has built technologies to protect against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to
ensure network availability and application uptime.
● AWS’s SQL Server RDS uses server-side encryption to protect sensitive data.
In addition to AWS’s secure hosting environment, ClearGov has implemented a number of extra
software security features:
● Secure Socket Layer (SSL): SSL establishes an encrypted link between AWS servers and the
web browser to ensure that all data transfers remain private and integral.
● SQL Injection Protection: ClearGov has built protection against SQL injection attacks where
hackers attempt to insert nefarious server requests into web forms.
● Access Rights: ClearGov has implemented strict permission settings based on roles, which limit
access to specific data and application functions. This ensures that internal users are restricted
from accessing sensitive data based on privileges assigned by your administrator.
● Password Authentication: ClearGov does not store passwords explicitly, but rather “hashes”
(encrypts) them so they are not compromised.
● Single Sign On (SSO): ClearGov offers Single Sign On capabilities as an optional authentication
method. The system is integrated with a leading authentication aggregator which provides
integration with the majority of authentication providers.
● Logging and Monitoring: ClearGov employs monitoring features that quickly identify
vulnerabilities and provide immediate alerts if action is required.

Where are ClearGov data centers located?
AWS replicates the ClearGov application and data across multiple geographically dispersed data
centers to ensure redundancy and availability.

What sort of disaster recovery plan is in place?
One of the reasons we selected AWS is because they provide state-of-the-art disaster recovery. ClearGov
databases are duplicated in real-time across multiple AWS servers, and the entire ClearGov platform is
backed up daily across the AWS network. So, even in the event of a catastrophic system failure, 24 hours
of data loss would be the maximum impact.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

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Is the ClearGov platform designed to scale to meet demand bursts?
Yes. One of the key factors behind selecting AWS as our hosting provider is their ability to scale rapidly.
AWS has automated solutions in place that automatically scale ClearGov’s platform for normal peaks
and valleys in demand, and can be rapidly (and remotely) scaled to meet sustained demand increases.

Does ClearGov leverage AWS Virtual Private Cloud features?
Yes. ClearGov utilizes the AWS Virtual Private Cloud functionality so that our platform is hosted on a
logically isolated section of the AWS Cloud and not commingled with any third-party applications.

How do I learn more about ClearGov’s hosting solution?
You can learn more about AWS data centers and security measures via the following link:
● https://aws.amazon.com/security/?hp=tile

Security FAQs
How is client data stored within the ClearGov platform?
All client data is stored in a single data repository with proper authentication and access control built
into the system to ensure that users may only access the data applicable to their organization.

Is the ClearGov platform SOC 2 compliant?
Our hosting provider, AWS, is fully compliant with SOC 2 requirements, and ClearGov can provide a
copy of the most recent AWS SOC 2 compliance/audit report upon request.

How often is the ClearGov platform reviewed for adherence to security
standards?
ClearGov performs quarterly security reviews to ensure that processes are being followed and standards
are being met.

How frequently is the ClearGov platform monitored?
The ClearGov platform is monitored continuously - 24 x 7 - for performance, security and auditing.

Does ClearGov Support SSO?
ClearGov is integrated with a leading authentication aggregator which provides integration with the
majority of authentication providers such as OpenID Connect and SAM. Examples of SSO providers
using these protocols include Microsoft Azure, OneLogin, and Okta.

Service Level FAQs
What level of service availability does ClearGov support?
All ClearGov solutions are available on a 24/7 basis, and ClearGov is committed to 99.9% uptime. Given
that we are a cloud-based solution product patches and upgrades are completed in real-time, without
impact to system performance. On occasion, as necessary, larger upgrades that may require planned
system downtime are announced in advance and completed over the weekend and/or after working
hours.

What is your standard practice for security patch management?
ClearGov conducts ongoing audits of third-party packages for vulnerabilities. Patches for critical
vulnerabilities are released as soon as possible, otherwise, patches are released as part of regular
bi-weekly software releases.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

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How often does ClearGov schedule planned outages for system upgrades?
The ClearGov platform and applications are architected so that the system does not require downtime
during regular maintenance, product upgrades, or emergency patches. On occasion, as necessary,
larger upgrades that may require planned system downtime are announced in advance and completed
over the weekend and/or after working hours.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

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FAQs
General Questions
Q: Do we need to dedicate resources for ClearGov implementation?
●

A: Ideally, we would like to have one point person on your end with whom we can coordinate
logistics. We generally require no more than a few hours of that person’s time for the entire
setup/onboarding process. Typically, that same person is responsible for delivering regular data
updates (usually quarterly) , which requires only a few minutes of their time once per quarter.
(See Project Management section for more details.)

Q: Does ClearGov provide training?
●

A: The ClearGov platform is designed to be simple and intuitive. With that said, ClearGov will
provide whatever training you and your team need during the kick-off process. And, the
ClearGov team is available for unlimited support and/or training on an ongoing basis. ClearGov
also provides video tutorials, online help, and other support materials as well. (See Training and
Support section for more details.)

Q: How much effort is required to import our data?
●

A: In short, not much. All ClearGov Solutions are designed to be turnkey and ClearGov does all of
the heavy lifting for you. See Onboarding section above for more details.

Q: Can ClearGov help us communicate our finances internally?
●

A: Absolutely. ClearGov is a powerful tool for not only communicating with residents, but also
internal stakeholders. ClearGov can act as a central reporting platform that offers clear and
easy-to-understand infographics that can be used for presentations and reports both internally
and externally.

Q: How will ClearGov store our data? Is it secure?
●

A: ClearGov utilizes a full suite of solutions from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host and deliver
the data for the ClearGov platform. We specifically selected AWS as our solutions provider
because the AWS infrastructure puts strong safeguards in place to help secure and protect
customer data. All data is stored in highly secure AWS data centers, and you can learn more
about AWS security measures via the following link: https://aws.amazon.com/security/?hp=tile.
See Security Overview section above for more details.

Q. Are there any accounting systems that are not compatible with ClearGov?
●

A: The short answer is "No" — we work with everybody. We're not actually doing a direct
integration with your accounting system; we just need a simple report, and every accounting
system we've ever met can easily produce that report. We've worked with enough of them now
that we can probably tell you which report to print, and if it's a new one, we'll help you figure
out which report is right.

Q: Does ClearGov provide a real-time integration with any eFinance or ERP
systems?
●

A: The short answer is…No...and this is by design. ClearGov takes a different approach when it
comes to integrating your data onto our platform. In short...we do the work for you. You simply
send us a report from your accounting system whenever you like, and we’ll upload it - and there
is never any additional charge for this.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

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●

The reason we take this approach is that system integrations sound like a good idea on paper,
but in reality...they are painful, expensive and extremely difficult to maintain. The key problem is
that every time the software changes on either end of the integration, the connection breaks
and requires significant effort to re-integrate. In fact, that’s how our competitors make a lot of
their money, because they charge professional service fees every time you ask them to
re-establish the integration. Bottom line, the extra costs of supporting and maintaining a
real-time integrated solution far outweigh the minimal incremental benefits of real-time data
transfer.

Q: Does the ClearGov platform support single sign-on functionality?
●

A: Yes. ClearGov supports single sign-on functionality using Microsoft Azure Active Directory. We
are happy to support other single sign-on platforms/APIs as well. Please just let us know what
you need.

Operational Budgeting Questions
Q: With ClearGov's benchmarking intelligence module, how do we know we are
comparing “apples to apples”?
●

A: ClearGov consolidates and normalizes the fiscal data for all of the municipalities within your
state into a standardized national chart of accounts in order to enable a direct apples-to-apples
comparison. ClearGov also enables you to select the filter criteria that are most important to the
comparison you're trying to make. For example, if you're comparing snow removal costs, you
want towns with similar road miles, whereas if you're comparing public safety costs, you'll likely
use population and average household income as your filters.

Q: Can I export from ClearGov Operational Budgeting into my ERP system?
●

A: Yes, once you’ve created your budget, you can choose any combination of data to export to
Excel and then import this directly into your ERP system.

Capital Budgeting Questions
Q: Are requests from the prior year carried over when you create a new budget?
●

A: Yes, previously submitted requests (multi-year, partially funded or unfunded) from the prior
year will be carried over to the new capital planning process. Any prior year requests that you do
not want to include can be removed from the plan after you’ve started.

Q: Can we import prior year’s requests?
●

A: Yes, it is easy to import prior year's requests. Within ClearGov Capital Budgeting, you can
download a template based on your request type. You simply add your requests to the template
and upload them to ClearGov. Our Import tool has an easy 3-step guide to walk you through the
process.

Q: Can we export the final Capital Budget that we create?
●

A: Yes, you can export your Capital Budget to Excel or PDF. ClearGov’s Capital Budgeting Report
Builder serves up a handful of pre-built, common reports to streamline your reporting process,
or you can create your own reports to export. Exported data can be uploaded to your ERP or
accounting system.

Personnel Budgeting Questions
Q: We have a lot of employees, can we upload their data in bulk?
●

A: Yes, it is easy to bulk import employees into our system. ClearGov generates a template that
you can download and use to set up a simple bulk import of employees and information.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

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Q: Can we export the final Personnel Budget that we create?
●

●

A: Yes, once you’ve created your budget, you can choose any combination of data to export to
Excel and then import this directly into your ERP/Accounting system.
1. ClearGov dynamically searches for the closest ten municipalities that meet population,
median home values and commercial assessment deviations. The figures from these
municipalities are combined to create a peer average.
NOTE: As a ClearGov Transparency customer, you will have the opportunity to create and
publish your own custom peer groups, based on whatever criteria is most important to you.

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

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“I’ve enjoyed working with ClearGov. I really am
impressed with how the products have been built.
It’s amazing that they know very well what we
need. Not many do.”
Will Fuentes, CPFO, MBA
Finance Director

Campbell, CA

ClearGov, Inc. | 855-553-2715 | www.cleargov.com

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