Managing Growth Under Pressure With Priority Based Budgeting
Organization Profile
- Industry: Municipal
- Location: South Jordan, Utah
- Number of Employees: 650
- Population: 86,000
- Tyler Client Since: 2014
- Tyler Products/Solutions: Cashiering, Content Manager, Enterprise ERP, Payments, Priority Based Budgeting
A New Lens for Informed Decision-Making
As one of the fastest-growing cities in the Salt Lake Valley, the city of South Jordan, Utah, faced increasing budget complexity and rising service expectations during periods of economic uncertainty.
During the 2007–2008 economic downturn, these challenges became especially acute. When the mayor unexpectedly requested a $3 million budget reduction without specifying where cuts should be made, the city’s leadership confronted the reality that most expenditures were tied to personnel. Any reductions risked impacting essential services such as police, fire, and community programs.
However, the city’s traditional budgeting process made it difficult for leaders to see the real-world impact of adjustments and to communicate those effects clearly to residents.
Sunil Naidu, South Jordan’s chief financial officer, faced the challenge of ensuring reductions were aligned with true community priorities.
“We needed a holistic approach that provided elected officials and other decision-makers a new lens to ensure our community maintains and preserves its highly valued programs and services,” said Naidu.
Connecting Dollars to Community Priorities
After meeting Tyler’s Priority Based Budgeting experts at a conference, Naidu saw an opportunity to transform South Jordan’s financial process. South Jordan turned to Tyler’s Priority Based Budgeting to fundamentally reshape how financial decisions were made. By shifting from line‑item reviews to a program‑driven framework, the city gained the ability to evaluate spending through the lens of outcomes, community value, and strategic goals.
This new approach provided access to detailed program costs, benchmarking tools, and transparent reporting that supported both internal decision-making and public communication. Neighboring cities resorted to layoffs and cuts during downturns, while South Jordan maintained all full-time staff.
The system’s AI-enabled analysis helped the finance team rapidly identify programs, calculate costs, and prioritize services. Performance indicators, such as maintaining average fire response times under four minutes, became central to demonstrating results and guiding policy discussions.
“We received exceptional support from Tyler, from implementation to ongoing service. The clarity, responsiveness, and practical tools have made a lasting difference for our finance team and the community,” Naidu said.
Naidu and his finance team harnessed the new system’s transparency to build trust with council members and the public. As the budgeting process matured, they developed resident surveys that linked satisfaction data to service levels, such as fire response times and police coverage. They then used those results to benchmark performance. The ability to clearly show impacts, communicate trade-offs, and include residents in shaping funding priorities became a powerful tool for stakeholder engagement.
“It’s easier for them to say, ‘With your tax dollars, here’s the programs we do,’ ” says Naidu.
Priority Based Budgeting has transformed how we communicate our priorities, and Tyler’s solution makes that communication possible. It’s powerful, different. It just makes sense for us.
Sunil Naidu
Chief Financial Officer, City of South Jordan, Utah
Efficiency, Transparency, and Trust
South Jordan’s adoption of Priority Based Budgeting led to measurable improvements in efficiency, alignment, and communication
Finance leaders have leveraged the system’s AI and data tools to identify program costs, build benchmarks, and provide transparent feedback loops for elected officials and the community. Resident satisfaction and service benchmarks, such as maintaining average fire response times within four minutes, became central proof points in budget discussions.
As South Jordan continues to expand, it now adjusts service levels and resource allocations based on clear, data-driven evidence.
“The ability to provide clarity to elected officials and the community is invaluable, says Naidu. “Priority Based Budgeting has transformed how we communicate our priorities, and Tyler’s solution makes that communication possible. It’s powerful, different. It just makes sense for us.”