Northampton County approves bundled ClearGov contract to modernize budgeting and transparency
Loading...
Summary
The county voted to approve a three‑year ClearGov software package (budget book, capital, personnel and transparency center) at $36,050 annually, with a negotiated 3% annual increase for the first three years; the board approved using contingency funds as discussed for related short-term public-safety support.
County manager presented a recommendation to expand the county’s digital budget tool into a bundled ClearGov package covering the digital budget book, capital budget, personnel budget and a transparency center. The package carries an annual cost of $36,050 beginning July 1, 2026, a $12,003.75 setup fee for additional modules (prorated and due at contract start) and negotiated inflation language (3% for the initial three years, then 4.5% afterward). The manager said bundling saved the county approximately $15,075 annually and reduced setup fees by roughly $17,004.
Commissioners asked whether funding this software would affect the ability to fund short-term public-safety assistance for towns; staff explained contingency and labor-savings offsets and noted roughly $100,000 in contingency allocations available to assist towns this fiscal year (about $50,000 usable in the current fiscal period). After discussion, a commissioner moved to accept the ClearGov recommendation; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.
What the board approved: authorization to execute the 3-year ClearGov agreement as presented. The first full payment is not due until July 1, 2026; staff will proceed with implementation and training and report back on deployment schedules and citizen-facing features.
