Westerville, Ohio has gone through many changes during its history.  Through it all, Westerville citizens have shown themselves to be rich in heritage, culture, pride, innovation and vision -- from the original settlers who took part in the Revolutionary War, to those who risked their lives as part of the Underground Railroad, to today's residents who continue to aspire to make Westerville a better community for future generations.

I am Todd Jackson and I work as the chief Information Officer in the City of Westerville. Fiscal responsibility is extremely important to the city, especially given the state of the economy. In the past, it had been difficult for city staff to prepare the annual budget with a five year projection in a timely manner due to the number of documents maintained by each department, the different formats used, and dispersed locations. This year the City Manager and our new Finance Director challenged staff to improve the annual budget planning process and deliver the budget earlier than ever before, allowing City Council more time to review.

Google Apps provided great tools to help us through this process. The documents previously managed in different formats were uploaded to Google Docs. That enabled multiple editors to update information simultaneously with version control to ensure the integrity of each document. To bring all the documents together I created a Google Site in only 90 minutes with content input from the Finance Director to ensure that vital information was covered. The Site enabled us to use a common, easily accessible location for delivering and editing budget documents as well as communicating updates in the schedule. I also linked the reporting tool for the City's financial system to this Site to improve work flow.

As a result, we delivered the budget to City Council for review two weeks early. That extra time for careful evaluation is an important part of getting the budget right, which is vital for both those who work for the city and the people we serve.