Why This Matters
As a municipal professional, your time is valuable. TrueNorth Pro is priced at just **$15 CAD per month** (or $180 CAD annually) — about the cost of a single lunch. Under almost every Canadian municipality's administrative policy, low-cost professional tools, publications, and software subscriptions can be expensed directly back to your department's operating or training budget.
You don't need a formal council resolution or a complex IT procurement audit to upgrade your tools. Most managers have the authority to approve minor expense claims under $500. By showing a clear return on investment (ROI), you can get your municipality to cover the cost of TrueNorth while you reap the benefits of a lighter workload.
The ROI Calculator
When proposing a software tool to your manager, the most effective argument is productivity. By demonstrating how many hours TrueNorth saves you on repetitive administrative tasks, you make approval a simple financial decision.
Here is a breakdown of the time saved by a typical municipal worker using TrueNorth:
| Task | Time Saved / Week | Annual Hours Saved | Value Created (@ $40/hr) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting Minutes (1 meeting) | 2.0 hours | 104 hours | $4,160 |
| Bylaw Analysis (1 analysis) | 4.0 hours | 208 hours | $8,320 |
| Staff Reports (1 report draft) | 3.0 hours | 156 hours | $6,240 |
Even if you only use TrueNorth to save **2 hours per month**, you create $960 worth of annual productivity. At a subscription cost of $180/year, that represents a **433% Return on Investment (ROI)**.
Talking Points for Your Manager
Managers in local government are risk-averse and value privacy and cost efficiency. When discussing TrueNorth, focus on security and statutory compliance:
- "TrueNorth is FOIPPA-compliant." Unlike public AI engines (like the free versions of ChatGPT), TrueNorth uses built-in scanners to automatically redact personally identifiable info (PII) and does not train its models on our data.
- "Data is stored residently in Canada." All of our documents, transcripts, and drafts remain inside Canada on secure servers in Montreal.
- "Human review is built directly into the system." The software has checkpoints. It doesn't publish anything automatically. I review and edit every motion, action item, and outline before it goes to council.
- "It requires zero long-term commitment." It's a monthly subscription. If we find it doesn't fit our needs, we can cancel it instantly with no contractual penalties.
Sample Expense Report Template
Copy and paste this template directly into your municipality's expense reimbursement portal or email request to your manager:
What If My Organization Says No?
If your municipality has a temporary freeze on new software expenses, you have options:
- Use the Free Tier: TrueNorth Free is open to any individual with any email address, allowing you to use basic municipal models at no cost.
- Pay Individually: You can pay for TrueNorth Pro out of pocket. Many staff members find that saving 10 hours of stressful administrative work a month is well worth the personal $15 expense.
- Request a Trial Pilot: Ask our sales team about setting up a formal department-wide trial, which can help bypass individual expense approval limits.
Get Started
Ready to make your case? You can sign up for a free account, download your first invoice under the billing panel, and submit it for approval today.