Finance outlines options for budgeting and procurement software; Tyler upgrades proposed

Finance staff told the council the current budget process is spreadsheet‑driven and time‑consuming and presented vendors that offer integrated budgeting, procurement and public budgeting portals. Staff described demos of OpenGov and a competitor (Una) and noted potential savings in staff time and better public reporting, as well as the ability to link budget initiatives to strategic plan goals. Implementation and first‑year setup costs were estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars, with ongoing annual licensing costs in subsequent years; staff said bundling procurement, permitting and budgeting could lower implementation fees.

As a nearer‑term step the finance team proposed Tyler modules for improved reporting and a content manager that would OCR and consolidate related financial documents (POs, invoices, checks) to a single searchable view. Staff also suggested a Tyler diagnostic/optimization review (the vendor’s PACE program) that would evaluate current Tyler use and recommend consolidation or additional modules. Council members signaled support in principle, with requests that staff return with formal procurement steps and price comparisons.

Staff emphasized that purchasing an enterprise budgeting platform would reduce manual workloads for finance and department directors and end the cycle of circulating multiple spreadsheets; council members generally endorsed pursuing a more integrated budgeting and procurement approach but did not vote to buy software at the workshop.