The City of Beaufort this week launched a new financial data platform powered by OpenGov.com that provides residents and city leaders with unprecedented access to the city’s budget information. Beaufort is the first municipality in South Carolina to offer the OpenGov system to the public.

The powerful visualization software transforms volumes of raw data into charts and graphs, enabling better analysis and understanding of the city’s budget, said Finance Director Kathy Todd. The OpenGov platform displays three years of government spending and revenue detail in a user-friendly portal access at www.beaufortsc.opengov.com. Residents and staff can drill down into the current year budget and compare to previous years through interactive graphs that easily explain revenue and expenses by fund, department and type.

“To us, our budget isn’t terribly complicated, but if you aren’t familiar with our process it can be confusing. This new tool will help everyone better understand where the City of Beaufort spends its money, how recent years compare, and how department budgets change over time,” Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said.

“This is a powerful tool for us in the City of Beaufort Finance Department, but it’s also an amazing resource for our residents and anyone else interested in our finances,” Todd said. “I want people to go to the site and try it out. You can’t break it, and practicing will help you find what you are looking for or trying to understand.”

Beyond sharing information with the public, governments also use OpenGov internallyto create custom reports, manage operations to budget, and keep administrators and legislators informed.