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What Customers Are Saying About MuniCast®
“My initial experience with MuniCast has been very positive. I received friendly, professional support preparing MuniCast and the response from our elected officials using the Sensitivity Analysis has been overwhelmingly positive.”
-- Dave Garnick, Financial Planning Manager, Lane County, Oregon
"The MuniCast model has been a valuable tool for our long-term financial planning. Your expertise and time you made available to adjust the forecast to our needs by adding the master plans and debt scenarios into the model was superb. To have this model with the checks and balances already in place and your ability to adapt the model to our needs was excellent. Your diligent work with us on our short time frame to bring this all together along with your in-depth understanding of municipalities really made this process easy. Most times, it seemed that you understood what I was asking before I asked. I don’t think there is anyone else out there that can use Excel to its fullest capability the way you do."
-- Tina Tapley, Finance Manager, City of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
"MuniCast has been very useful in centralizing all the city's financial data; instead of accessing three, four, five, or more different sources, all our financial information is in one, easy to navigate Excel file. The model has improved the city's ability to quickly create specific fiscal scenarios and analyze impacts. MuniCast has been very responsive in helping individualize the model for our community; and has provided well thought out insight and advice in how to use the model most effectively given our goals."
-- Amy Cunningham, Senior Administrative Analyst, City of Dublin, California
"MuniCast has been the City of Livermore's long-term forecast solution since 2006. City management has come to rely on the annual five-year forecast presentation to place current two-year budget projections in the proper fiscal context. This year we used the model to estimate the long-term impacts of a significant projected increase in retirement rates."
-- Monica T. Potter, Director of Finance, City of Livermore, California
"Dollar for dollar, Municast was a tremendous investment when considering the complexity of the model, how quickly we were able to get it up and running and the experience, knowledge and creativity that Chris Swanson shared with us as part of the flat fee. Municast will have an impact on the County's long term financial planning far exceeding its cost."
--John Ruggini, Assistant Budget and Fiscal Administrator, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
"MuniCast has been a tremendous aid in explaining trends and forecast data. Your prompt response to my questions and modifications has been amazing! The initial setup was very easy and we had a working product within a week. Thank you for all your assistance and I look forward to a long working relationship with you."
--Jane Skittone, Finance Director, Town of Palm Beach, Florida
"The MuniCast Monthly Variance Analysis Model has streamlined our monthly budget reporting process by automating the development of monthly department budgets, as well as the development of monthly variance reporting tables. It has proven to be a useful and efficient tool in analyzing and presenting our city’s budget vs. actual performance."
--Ken Brown and Lori Fisher, Finance Department, City of Irvine, California
"MuniCast is a powerful financial tool that gives you the pulse of the organization at any given time."
--Anil Gandhy, CPA, Finance Director, City of West Hollywood, California
"Using the monthly model has enabled us to spend more time analyzing and planning for the future based on the estimates to close the fiscal year. It has provided a great tool that we share with the departments to bring them aware of how they are doing financially and address potential issues that may arise. In the current economic climate this has been a great tool for us."
--Sandy McCormack, Administrative Services Manager, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
"The monthly financial model developed by MuniCast, will assist the City of San Clemente in developing a more comprehensive and sophisticated method of comparing actual expenditures and revenues to budget. This data will be extraordinarily useful in identifying both negative and positive trends and allow for a more timely method of addressing projected variances."
--Pall Gudgeirsson, Asst. City Manager, City of San Clemente, California
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"Now more than ever, City Council members, Commissioners, and members of the public are requesting from staff very detailed financial information regarding the performance of the City’s most active funds. Policy makers and management find it very useful to know the month over month or year over year performance of a particular fund or account. It is also important to have the tools necessary to estimate the likely future performance program or fund given certain assumptions. The MuniCast monthly model is a solution that provides the means to assess past performance and develop strategies for the allocation of resources to the programs that deliver the greatest value. The numerous benefits of the MuniCast model can be summarized in the following key areas:
1. Timing of Financial Activity – Because the model records the occurrence of financial activity as it happens, it is easy depict the historic and future cash flow scenarios. For example, sales and property tax flow inconsistently throughout the year and the model provides the means to track and graphically depict the cyclical pattern that revenues flow.
2. Forecasting – The model allows for the development of monthly budgeting, as opposed to just conventional annual budgeting, although the model allows for both. Using the previous example, the organization can budget for property and sales tax to flow mostly in quarters 2 and 3 as opposed to occurring evenly throughout the year. Future budgets can be planned based on past trends, known events that happen at specific times during the year, or at any programmed percentage during the year. 3. Communication through Graphics – The model provides clear and easy to understand graphics that can simply be dropped into a staff report or PowerPoint presentation without further modification."
--Steve Montano, Asst. Administrative Services Director, City of San Juan Capistrano, California
"The MuniCast Monthly Variance Model developed by Chris Swanson is an invaluable tool in the City of Rancho Santa Margarita’s annual budget development process, and as a budget tracking tool on an interim basis during the fiscal year. Staff uses the model to project year end totals and balances, analyze key variances at both a micro and macro level, and also to apply forecasting techniques using various revenue and expenditure sensitivities. Chris has added several unique features to the model at our request and continues to offer outstanding timely support and customer service for the City. It’s a job well done with great appreciation!"
--Paul Boyer, Administrative Services Director, City of Rancho Santa Margarita, California
"MuniCast offers a flexibility that is not available through our standard accounting system making it an indispensible analytical tool."
--Linda Brown, Accounting & Budget Supervisor, City of Rancho Santa Margarita, California
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Pricing
Pricing for complete implementation of the MuniCast Forecasting and Trend Analysis Model is $2,995 for General Fund and $4,995 for All Funds, including Capital and Debt funds. This pricing is inclusive of 12 months support following implementation of the model. Support includes training, data refreshing and model refinements as required. Optional annual support beyond the initial 12 month period is available for $1,995.
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GFRG offers a range of MuniCast models tailored for organizations including large and small cities and towns, county governments, schools and colleges, public safety, parks and recreation, airports and harbors and other public agencies. Call GFRG for more information on the best version for your organization.
To view a demonstration of MuniCast, please contact GFRG at MuniCast@Gmail.com
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