The Static Report Is Holding Teams Back
Every budget cycle, public finance teams work tirelessly to craft reports that communicate spending priorities, ensure compliance, and satisfy both regulators and residents. But too often, those efforts are lost in the format. According to the 2025 State of Public Budgeting report, most agencies still rely on PDFs or printed budget books. These formats are static, hard to navigate, and built for compliance, not communication.
In an era where public trust, transparency, and agility are more important than ever, that just doesn’t cut it anymore.
A Transparency Commitment That Falls Flat
The report found that 94% of respondents believe community engagement is important in the budgeting process. But when asked how they publish financial data, the overwhelming answer was: PDFs.
That disconnect between intent and execution is limiting governments’ ability to:
- Communicate trade-offs clearly
- Make data accessible to all residents
- Demonstrate equity in funding decisions
- Comply with emerging digital mandates like the FDTA
The result? Even the most well-intentioned transparency efforts fall flat, not because of the content, but because of the format.
Why Digital Reporting Matters More Than Ever
Transparency isn’t just a regulatory requirement. It’s a strategy for building trust and resilience. And that strategy starts with how financial data is presented.
Modern digital reporting offers:
- Improved accessibility for residents, media, and stakeholders
- Easier compliance with mandates like the Financial Data Transparency Act
- Faster updates across operating, capital, and financial reports
- Interactive formats that enhance understanding and engagement
Digital publications aren’t just more user-friendly; they’re built to evolve with your agency’s needs and your community’s expectations.
Beyond Compliance: Agility, Accessibility, and Trust
As highlighted in the report, many teams are operating under tighter timelines and leaner staffing. Switching to digital reporting tools improves how work gets done.
Digital tools:
- Reduce formatting time with built-in templates
- Ensure alignment across reports with connected data sources
- Support version control and audit trails for greater accountability
- Improve community confidence with interactive visuals and plain-language narratives
Forward-thinking agencies are already making the switch. For example, the City of Largo, FL used Euna Budget’s digital budget book tools to replace static PDFs with interactive, accessible online reports, turning their transparency goals into tangible results.
Key Takeaways
- 94% of agencies value community engagement—but most still use static PDFs that limit access and transparency.
- Digital budget books and ACFRs help governments meet compliance requirements and build public trust through clear, accessible reporting.
- Modern digital tools streamline publishing, reduce manual formatting, and ensure consistency across reports.
- Interactive features like data visualizations and CIP maps bring financial decisions to life for residents and stakeholders.
- Digital reporting is foundational to future-ready budgeting—enabling agility, transparency, and resilience in the face of uncertainty.
