After years of relying on multiple spreadsheets to build its annual budget, the City of Richmond is preparing to transition to a centralized budgeting and planning platform designed to improve efficiency and reduce the potential for errors. Council members recently approvedimplementation of the ClearGov budgeting and planning platform, which officials said will streamline budget development, personnel forecasting, capital planning and long-range financial forecasting while creating an interactive digital budget book. City Administrator Tonya Willim noted staff spent approximately eight to nine months evaluating budgeting software before recommending ClearGov. As part of the FY2027 budget development process, staff recommended implementation of the software after reviewing multiple budgeting and planning platforms. City documents say ClearGov was identified as the best fit for the city’s needs and is used by municipalities across the country for budgeting, per- sonnel forecasting,…