ClearGov Introduces New AI-Driven Capabilities to Make Public Sector Budgeting Easier

Maynard, MA (9/3/2025) – ClearGov®, the leader in budget cycle management solutions for local governments and school districts, today announced the release of three innovative features, each powered by ClearGov AI. Now available in beta, these tools represent a major leap forward in the company’s mission to make the budgeting process easier and more transparent.

The announcement introduces:

• ClearGov Narrative Generation: A one-click capability that automatically generates a first draft of explanatory text to accompany charts in budget books. By producing relevant commentary aligned with visual data, Narrative Generation helps finance teams save significant time while improving communication with non-technical stakeholders. Importantly, the feature also supports ADA compliance by providing readable context where screen readers struggle with visual-only content.
  
• ClearGov Document Import: A transformative feature that enables users to upload externally-created PDFs and seamlessly convert them into ClearGov’s digital format. The system intelligently extracts and formats text, images, and tables, embedding them directly into digital reports without manual re-entry. This allows users to preserve and modernize content across budget books, financial reports, and other official documents with just a few clicks, saving them significant time.
  
• ClearGov Budget Book Evaluator: A free tool, powered by ClearGov AI, designed to analyze and assess budget books against the criteria for the GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. Users simply upload a PDF of their budget book, and the Budget Book Evaluator delivers a detailed readiness scorecard highlighting strengths, projected scores for each evaluation criterion, and actionable recommendations for improvement. This tool helps finance teams gauge their budget book’s award-readiness and elevate the quality of their financial documentation. The Budget Book Evaluator is available now to any local government or school district — a ClearGov account is not required.

“AI has the potential to transform how governments operate, but only if it’s implemented thoughtfully and responsibly,” said Chris Bullock, CEO of ClearGov. “At ClearGov, we’re focused on identifying meaningful use cases that deliver tangible value through time savings and improved output, while ensuring customers know where and how AI is being used across our platform.”

The development of ClearGov AI is the result of over two years of deep research, experimentation, and customer collaboration. The company’s approach to AI is very intentional and focused on investing the team’s development effort in areas that eliminate tedious work and help customers tell their financial story with confidence. 

“Our approach is to test, learn, and build with real feedback from real users,” said Chase Smith, VP of Product Management at ClearGov”. “We’re excited to make these capabilities broadly available in beta and continue that iterative process. This latest set of features is just the beginning of what we envision for ClearGov AI.”

For more information about ClearGov AI and to explore the new capabilities, visit www.cleargov.com.  

About ClearGov

ClearGov makes it easy to plan, build and present your budget with confidence. Over 1,400 local governments, counties, schools and special districts use ClearGov to bring stakeholders together in one central platform to manage the complete budget cycle – planning and tracking, budgeting, reporting and engaging the community. Modern software built for the specific needs of the public sector, ClearGov is how to build the budget quickly and accurately, tell your financial story in a way that builds trust and support, and spend more time on the strategic initiatives that will help your community thrive. ClearGov is proudly endorsed by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and is an Affinity Partner with the International Association of School Business Officials (ASBO). For more information, visit www.cleargov.com.