Strategic Planning
Digital Budget Book
Document Enhancements
Operational Budgeting
Capital Budgeting
Personnel Budgeting
Tools
Platform
Strategic Planning
Hide Percent Complete in Strategic Plan
This release introduces the ability to hide “percent complete” on all Strategic Plan objects. This is most applicable to Focus Areas, which may not have a logical completion but rather remain open over long periods as new goals are created and executed.
From within the settings, users can toggle off the “Show Percent Complete” option. Once percentages are hidden in select focus areas, the Dashboard will be updated to remove the percent-complete overview. To supplement the Dashboard view, we have also added support for grouping by Goals.
Any changes to percent complete within the Strategic Planning application will be reflected in the Strategic Planning Documents.
- Open the Strategic Plan and navigate to a Focus Area
- Select “Area Settings”
- Toggle OFF “Show Percent Complete”
- Select “Save Changes”
Note: You can turn off “percent complete” within any item at any level - focus area, goal, or action item. This feature is ONLY for ClearGov's Strategic Planning module. It is not available for the Capital Project Tracking module.
Digital Budget Book
Position Count Connection
Digital Budget Book now connects directly to Position Count data. Previously, creating FTE summary tables required exporting personnel budget data, reformatting it, and manually building the tables within the document.
With this integration, selecting a Position Count table as a data source automatically generates FTE summary information, including the overall personnel summary page and department-level FTE summaries within relevant financial pages. For example, the Police Department page will automatically display FTE totals specific to that department based on the selected scenario.
For an existing Digital Budget Book:
- Navigate to your Digital Budget Book and select “Settings”
- Select “Data Sources” and navigate to the “Personnel Data” subtab
- Choose an existing Position Count table from the dropdown
- Select “Save Settings”
For a New Digital Budget Book:
- Create a Digital Budget book
- In Step 5 of the Create Wizard, select a Position Count table to connect to Data Sources
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Select the “Create New Budget Book” button
Global Table Configurations
Global Table Configurations simplifies how financial table settings are managed across Digital Budget Book. Previously, updating table formatting required making the same change across multiple configuration panels throughout the document, a time-consuming process in fully built budget books that can contain hundreds of tables.
Table settings can now be managed from a single location, allowing updates to apply across all tables at once. This makes common tasks, like adding a financial version to every table, significantly faster and helps ensure consistent formatting throughout the document, in line with GFOA and ASBO best practices.
- Open the Digital Budget Book editor application
- Select “Settings” in the top right corner
- Select “Table Configurations” in the navigation list
- Make desired changes across General, Value, Table Presentation, and Column Configuration.
- Save changes on each page to apply to the entire document.
Document Enhancements
Bulk Edit Dynamic Figures
Document enhancement updates apply to all document and report templates in Digital Budget Book, Digital Financial Reporting, and Strategic Planning Documents.
You can now edit dynamic figures in bulk to streamline the process of carrying forward your budget book or other document from one year to the next. Simply select all dynamic figures within the document and bump them forward as many years or versions as necessary.
- Open a document on ClearDocs in the editor application
- Open “Settings” in the top right corner
- Select “Dynamic Figure Management”
- Select “Figures to Update”
- Select “Change Version”
- Choose the financial version to update the dynamic figures to
- Select “Change Version” to save the update
Block Status Updates
Document enhancement updates apply to all document and report templates in Digital Budget Book, Digital Financial Reporting, and Strategic Planning Documents.
Block Status Updates allow statuses to be applied at the block level within pages. Previously, statuses could only be managed at the page level.
With block-level statuses, teams can better track progress when multiple contributors are working within the same page. Combined with email notifications, this feature helps highlight blocks that need attention and improves collaboration across teammates.
- Open a document on ClearDocs in the editor application
- Select “Settings” in the top right corner
- From the General Information page, turn “ON” Block Status
- From any block on any page, select “Options.”
- Select the “Block Status” option from the menu
- Choose the desired status and submit
Operational Budgeting
Funding Package Enhancements
This update to Funding Packages improves collaboration and visibility throughout the funding package process in Operational Budgeting. Previously, it could be difficult to track the status, ownership, and progress of funding packages as teams worked together on large or complex requests.
These updates introduce status management, email notifications, teams updates, and enhanced progress tracking for funding packages. Together, these improvements help teams stay aligned, keep stakeholders informed, and manage funding package approvals more efficiently throughout the budgeting process.
- Create a Team within the Funding Packages subtab
- Create a Funding Package
- If a Team is defined on the Funding Package, anyone assigned to that team can access the package prior to submission.
- If a Funding Package is not associated with a Team, only the creator can access it before submission.
- To update that status, for example, submit the package, then open the package and select “Update Status,” or select the three-dot menu in the table and select “Update Status.”
Personnel Budget Imports for Biennial Budgets
Greater flexibility is now available when importing Personnel Budgeting data into biennial operating budgets. Previously, a single Personnel Budgeting scenario was used across both fiscal years within a biennial budget.
With this update, different Personnel Budgeting scenarios can now be independently selected for each fiscal year’s in-progress column within the operating budget. This allows personnel budget data to more accurately align with each budget year while reducing the need for manual updates.
- From the Operational Budgeting biennial budget worksheet, select “Import”
- Select “Personnel Budget Import” and choose a budget associated with both fiscal years
- Select a scenario for each year in the biennium
- Review “Import” and “Select Import Itemizations”
- The worksheet will be updated with itemization values from each independent personnel budget scenario, populating the corresponding “In Progress” column.
CSV Imports for Editable Worksheet Columns
Operational Budgeting now supports importing CSV data into any editable column within the worksheet. Previously, importing data into editable forecasting and planning columns required more manual entry and adjustment.
With this update, CSV imports can be used for End-of-Year Projections, In-Progress columns, Forecasted columns, and other editable worksheet fields. This provides greater flexibility when managing budgeting and forecasting data, especially for organizations working with external spreadsheets or transitioning into ClearGov workflows.
- From the Operational Budgeting worksheet, select “Import”
- Select the CSV option
- Download template
- Include account and itemization values to update and insert
- Select “File Import”
- Complete Flatfile validation workflow
- Import updates
Dashboard Comparison Settings
Operational Budgeting now allows financial versions within the dashboard to be customized for more flexible comparisons and analysis. Previously, dashboard comparisons were limited to predefined financial versions.
With this update, different financial versions can be selected directly within the dashboard, automatically refreshing net difference metrics, expense versus revenue charts, and fund balance projections. This makes it easier to compare financial scenarios and analyze budget changes at a high level.
- From Operational Budgeting, select “Settings”
- Select “Dashboard” in the navigation bar
- Select “Primary version and baseline version” from the drop-down list
- Select “Save Changes”
- Navigate to the OB Dashboard to see updated comparisons
Capital Budgeting
Enhanced Request Form Controls
Form controls have been enhanced to provide greater flexibility when configuring Capital Budgeting request forms. Previously, forms required more manual input and offered limited options for customizing default values or optional fields. With these updates, default values can be customized for requesters, and additional fields (such as account ID) can be made optional or hidden entirely. This helps reduce unnecessary data entry while ensuring requesters provide clear and relevant information.
- From Capital Budgeting, select “Request Manager”
- Select “Forms” and choose “create new form” or “edit form”
- Within the form, to hide the Funding Source panel, navigate to Funding Source panel, and select the eye icon
- Within the form, specifically for dropdown fields, use the default checkbox to define the most common choice to speed up your requester's selection process
- Form updates are automatically saved upon selection and will be applied to all requests created utilizing this form from this point forward
- These choices do not update or override existing requests
Personnel Budgeting
New Position to Vacancy Workflow
Personnel Budgeting now supports a streamlined workflow for submitting, reviewing, and approving New Position requests. Previously, approved requests required you to manually recreate positions as Vacancies.
With this update, approved New Position requests automatically transition into Vacancies. Within existing scenarios, these items also move from the “New Hire” tab to the “Vacancy” tab. To include the newly approved Vacancy within an existing scenario, simply toggle the “Include” field on.
- Review submitted “New Position Requests” in the Request Manager in Personnel Budgeting
- Select a single request via the checkbox and select the “Approve” button in the table header
- Review the general and financial details, modifying where needed
- When finished, select “Create Vacancy”
- To include the newly approved Vacancy within an existing scenario, simply toggle the “Include” field on.
Personnel Budgeting Sandbox
Personnel Budgeting now includes a Sandbox option during budget creation to help you get started faster with real-world examples and prebuilt Data Model Manager templates.
The Sandbox environment provides example configurations and sample structures that can be used for learning, testing, or as a starting point for building your Personnel Budget. This helps accelerate onboarding and allows you to begin exploring Personnel Budgeting workflows before your chart of accounts is fully onboarded.
- Select “Create Personnel Budget”
- Personnel Sandbox is default toggled ON
- Input General Details and select “Create”
- Within the Data Model Manager, examples will be included across Units, Wage Schedules, Additional Pays, and Benefits
Note: If you select the “Carry Forward” toggle on “Create Modal”, the Sandbox option will automatically be toggled off.
Tools
Position Count Tool
ClearGov is introducing Position Count, a new standalone tool that gives you a structured place to manage FTE data across multiple fiscal years and flow it directly into your Digital Budget Book. Built around GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award criteria, Position Count replaces the manual work of assembling personnel summary tables by hand.
Position Count is available to all Digital Budget Book customers, with or without Personnel Budgeting. Customers using Personnel Budgeting can pull existing FTE data into Position Count through Report Builder, while customers without Personnel Budgeting can build their position data directly in the tool. In both cases, the data connects to Digital Budget Book to populate personnel summary pages when creating your budget book.
- Navigate to “Tools” → “Position Count” from the left-hand navigation.
- Create a new position count by entering a name, start year, and end year.
- Add jobs by entering the job title, job code, and account number. Additional job information is automatically populated based on the account details provided.
- Populate FTE values either manually or by importing a CSV file.
- For Personnel Budgeting customers, generate a Position Count report from Report Builder within your budget, export the CSV, and import the file into Position Count.
- To include Position Count data in Digital Budget Book, add it during the creation of a new document or within “Settings” → “Data Sources” of an existing document.
- Position Count information is displayed within “Executive Summary” → “Personnel Changes” under Position Summary.
Platform
Updated Product Navigation
ClearGov is introducing an updated product navigation experience with a new Application Picker available across the ClearGov platform. This update makes it easier to move between products from a single, consistent navigation experience without needing to return to a home screen or switch between separate systems.
The Application Picker provides faster access to the products available under your ClearGov login while creating a more unified experience across the platform. As part of this update, Disclosure Studio (formerly Gravity Disclosure Studio) and Community Engagement (formerly CoUrbanize) are now accessible within the same workspace as your ClearGov modules using the same login experience.
For a walkthrough of the updated platform experience, view the video here.
New Launch - Financial Engagement
New module available within the Engage solution suite
ClearGov is proud to introduce Financial Engagement — a powerful new solution in our Engage solution suite and a new category of tool built specifically for local government finance teams.
Financial Engagement helps governments go beyond publishing financial information to building the community understanding and public support needed to make confident, well-aligned financial decisions. With clear visual storytelling, interactive digital experiences, and built-in tools for gathering real-time resident feedback, your community moves from passive viewers to active participants in the financial decisions that affect them most.
Share the story behind your budget. Understand what residents actually value. Demonstrate responsiveness. And move forward knowing your community is informed, aligned, and on board. Visit our website to learn more about Financial Engagement and see it in action.
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