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Commissioners approve phased ClearGov purchase; vendor outlines modules and costs

Northampton County Board of Commissioners · December 2, 2025

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Summary

After a remote demonstration, the board approved a phased purchase of ClearGov budgeting and transparency modules (option 3), authorizing the budget book module now and planning additional modules later; staff presented setup fees of $17,325 total and an annual subscription of about $36,050 (3% increases starting year two).

County staff and a ClearGov representative described recommended budgeting and transparency software modules and the implementation plan before the board authorized a phased purchase.

Ryan Nichols of ClearGov gave an on-line presentation describing five modules under consideration (budget book, transparency, operational, capital and personnel). The vendor said ClearGov serves about 40 local governments in North Carolina and more than 1,400 nationwide and highlighted the transparency and operational modules as tools to make budget information easier for residents and to streamline internal workflows.

Staff and the vendor presented pricing details: a total one-time setup fee for all five modules of $17,325 (split into two payments), a pro-rata first-year budget-book subscription of $5,688 with a setup fee of $4,009.50 billed in December, and an annual subscription for the full suite of approximately $36,050. The agreement includes a 3% annual price increase beginning in year two, and staff said budgeted funds are sufficient to cover the modules planned for implementation.

Several commissioners and a public commenter raised procurement and contract concerns. Alan Tashima, a local taxpayer, cautioned that the draft contract looked like an evergreen agreement with automatic renewals and questioned whether alternatives were analyzed and whether the county would retain access to its data on termination. County staff replied the proposal includes a license for ClearGov software while county data remain the county's property and that indemnification and data protections are addressed in the vendor's terms and conditions. Commissioners voted to adopt option 3 (implement the budget book this year and revisit additional modules later).

The board approved the phased implementation by voice vote and directed staff to proceed with the initial budget-book setup and return with additional information on the other modules as needed.