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Dell Rapids approves purchase of ClearGov budget platform to increase transparency
Summary
Council approved purchasing ClearGov, a cloud-based budget book, with a one-time setup fee of $1,800 and an annual fee of $5,500. Staff said the platform integrates with the city's financial system (ENCODE) and aims for a February go-live to provide more accessible budget-to-actual data online.
The Dell Rapids City Council approved purchasing ClearGov, a cloud-based budget book platform, to give residents easier access to municipal budget and year-to-date financial information.
Finance staff said ClearGov integrates with the city's accounting system (ENCODE), can display budget-to-actual information and allow departments to publish short narratives for public review. Staff recommended a February go-live and cited a one-time setup fee of $1,800 plus an annual subscription fee of $5,500; staff also said ClearGov provides ongoing support. Council discussed potential annual fee escalators and staff said they had not confirmed typical annual increases but expected them to be moderate (3–5%).
Supporters on council said ClearGov or comparable products improve transparency and make budget documents more readable for residents. Council approved the purchase on motion; staff said implementation tasks would occur in January and February, with the aim to publish a functional site by March 1.
