West Chicago picks OpenGov ERP to unify city operations

West Chicago, Illinois, is moving major finance, HR, utility and permitting functions onto OpenGov ERP to replace disconnected systems and manual work. The city says the change will improve transparency, streamline internal operations and expand online services for residents.

Why it matters: - West Chicago is consolidating core city operations onto one ERP platform instead of running separate systems for finance, payroll, utilities, permits and resident services. - The change is designed to reduce manual work for staff and improve online access for residents. - City leaders also want a platform built for municipal workflows with responsive vendor support.

What happened: - West Chicago selected OpenGov ERP to replace a patchwork of disconnected systems. - The city will move Financial Management, Budgeting & Performance, Human Capital Management, Payroll, Utility Billing, Grants, Enterprise Asset Management, Permitting & Licensing, and OpenGov 311 onto one platform. - West Chicago has about 25,300 residents in the western Chicago suburbs. - City departments including finance, public works and community development will share data after the rollout is complete.

The details: - Budgets will be built inside the same platform that manages city finances. - Employees will use self-service tools to access pay information. - Public Works and Community Development will manage assets and permits in systems connected to finance data. - Residents will be able to pay and view utility bills online. - Public portals will make budgets and performance information easier to find. - GIS integration will connect city mapping data with asset and permit records. - Before the switch, budgets were built in spreadsheets, custom reporting required difficult tools, and W-2s were distributed manually. - Work orders were tracked on paper, and residents had limited online access to city services.

Between the lines: - The move reflects a broader push by local governments to replace fragmented, manual processes with shared data and resident-facing digital tools. - The emphasis on transparency suggests West Chicago wants residents to see more of how public funds are spent and how services are delivered. - Jacob Henderson, Assistant Finance Director for the City of West Chicago, said the city chose OpenGov to improve transparency and make it easier for residents to connect through a resident-facing portal.

What's next: - West Chicago will complete the transition to OpenGov and bring the affected departments onto the shared system. - Residents should see new online tools for utility billing and public information once the rollout is in place. - City staff will shift more day-to-day work from paper, spreadsheets and manual distribution to digital workflows.

The bottom line: - West Chicago is betting that one integrated municipal platform will make city operations simpler, more transparent and easier for residents to use.