City of Watsonville Launches Advanced Budget Transparency Platform

Cloud-Based OpenGov.com Enables the City of Watsonville to Engage Residents by Inviting Them to Explore the City Budget on the Internet

Watsonville, CA – April 8th, 2014 - The City of Watsonville and OpenGov.com announced the release of a powerful new tool that presents and visualizes the city’s revenues and expenses—from multi-year trends to object-level details.  By leveraging the OpenGov Platform, citizens and staff can use the web-based software to enhance access, understanding, and analysis of the city’s annual budget.  The City of Watsonville joins the ranks of over 40 other California governments who are leading the country on the open government initiative.

City Administrative Services Director Ezequiel Vega managed the partnership to make the government administration’s finances easily accessible and understandable. “When residents and members of our government have this information easily available to them, it improves the dialogue between the government and citizens,” said City Manager Carlos Palacios. “Our OpenGov site enables communication, trust, and engagement within the community.”

The public is invited to explore the tool on the city’s web site, or directly at https://WatsonvilleCA.OpenGov.com.

"The City of Watsonville and its residents can interact with and explore the budget in ways that were never before possible,” says Zachary Bookman, CEO and co-founder of OpenGov.  "By bringing their data to life, Watsonville is transforming their financial data into meaningful, actionable information that will strengthen their bond with constituents.”

About OpenGov, Inc.

OpenGov offers web-based software for state and local government finances. The OpenGov Platform provides instant access to the budget and visualizes current and historic revenue and expenses. Government officials and citizens use the platform to understand, analyze, and share the data. Learn more at www.opengov.com.