Springfield Resurgent: How a Proud City Built a Fiscally Sustainable Future

“Springfield Resurgent” illustrates how collaborative leadership, automated systems, and systematic checks and balances formed the basis for achieving what many would have deemed an impossible financial turnaround in Springfield, Massachusetts.

This is a story that every city in America can learn from. The task of revitalizing a city can seem impossibly daunting, but the City of Springfield proves that those who are ready to embrace digital transformation, overhaul internal processes, and invest in system-level changes will prosper.

Through a combination of strong financial management and savvy data analysis, Springfield’s leaders fixed their city from the inside out — freeing up resources, funding, and people power to drive a remarkably ambitious and successful citywide turnaround.

• Working its way from a $41 million deficit, Springfield city government created a $50 million surplus and upgraded the city’s credit rating
• Springfield leaders leveraged this financial strength to generate more than $4.5 billion in economic development
• Savings generated by the city’s technology investments and data-driven processes have been successfully reallocated to enhance public safety, revitalize neighborhoods, and make substantial improvements to Springfield’s public schools

“Undeniably, our ability to implement automated systems like UKG — systems that brought data and trends to the surface — was a true catalyst for Springfield’s financial turnaround.”
—TJ Plante, Chief Administrative and Financial Officer, City of Springfield

“Springfield’s proverbial ‘road to revival’ is a guidepost for state and local leaders. It implores America’s cities and metro areas to follow the money, get to the root cause, and put in place digital systems and data-based policies that can correct and prevent future financial neglect.”
—John Butler, Chief Financial Officer at UKG

“The crises for cities are only going to get bigger and more frequent. This story of how Springfield used sound professional management and strong political leadership to meet and overcome unprecedented challenges contains lessons for all of us who care about cities and the people who live in them.”
—Mark Funkhouser, President, Funkhouser & Associates

Download the “Springfield Resurgent” eBook, authored by Timothy J. Plante, the chief administrative and financial officer for the City of Springfield, to learn more about how the city has completed this amazing turnaround.