Sandwich, Massachusetts
A Seaside Town Improves Capital Project Update Communication and Transparency

Primary Objective

Adopt User-Friendly Budgeting Tools With Reliable Support

Find a government budgeting software provider that offers excellent customer service, an easy onboarding process, and solutions that help the town communicate capital project updates and improve transparency with citizens.

Challenge

Outdated Transparency Page and Poor Vendor Support

The Town of Sandwich had a transparency page with another vendor through their County’s account, but that vendor’s customer service stalled progress. They were dependent on the vendor to update the data on the transparency page, and it hadn’t been updated in 9 months. As a small town they felt they were not a priority to the vendor. They needed an easy-to-update transparency page with a solution that would allow them to promote and update progress on the town’s capital improvements.

We were ignored and delayed by another vendor, so it was important that we find a reliable vendor to deliver excellent customer service. The ClearGov team has been really great to work with, and the onboarding process was fast and easy. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

William Jennings, Finance Director for Sandwich, MA

Solution

Fast Onboarding, Easy Updates, and Accessible Transparency

The town was looking for a government budgeting software provider that focused on local governments and provided excellent customer service – regardless of a town’s size. Sandwich Public Schools were already using ClearGov and were very happy with the budgeting software tools, so it was an easy decision for the Town of Sandwich to start using ClearGov as well.

The onboarding process with ClearGov was quick and easy. The total onboarding process took just two and a half months, whereas the previous vendor squandered more than a year’s time. Now, it takes just 5-10 minutes per month to send data to ClearGov and update the Transparency page.

As the Town Treasurer, Tax Collector, and Finance Director, William Jennings has his hands full so he appreciates that the software is incredibly easy to use and cuts down on staff time. It also doesn’t require support from the town’s limited IT department of 2 people.

Although the town’s demographics are primarily older, less tech-savvy, citizens, the Transparency page is easy for them to navigate and find the information they’re looking for. The graphics and charts on the Transparency page make it easy for anyone to understand complex financial data. And because ClearGov’s Transparency pages are automatically ADA-optimized, the content is accessible to all of Sandwich’s citizens, even those with visual, cognitive, or dexterous disabilities.

Jennings is most excited about the Projects pages on the Transparency site. He’s looking forward to using it to easily communicate important community projects in the works, such as the library renovations, Council on Aging upgrades, and boardwalk replacement – which are all important capital improvements to the town’s citizens.

Jennings says ClearGov has been very easy to work with, and he appreciates that the town’s staff will be able to create and maintain the capital project pages on their own. Next on his list is to use ClearGov’s Capital Budgeting solution to manage the town’s capital improvement plan.

Planning, building and sharing our budget are important to us here in Sandwich. Our taxpayers deserve to know what the numbers are and where their money is being spent. We are dedicated to giving our citizens as much information as possible, and ClearGov allows us to do just that.

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