Dearborn
County Government Unveils New Website
At
their meeting on October 7, 2014, the Dearborn County Board of Commissioners
was provided a final review and demonstration of the county’s proposed new
website. County Administrator, Terri
Randall walked the Commissioners through the features of the site which
includes “hot buttons” on the home page for quick access to frequent services
such as tax information and payments, obtaining a building permit, election
information, GIS mapping, and access to meeting minutes and county ordinances.
The
website was designed by E-Gov Strategies and the project was led by an internal
website development committee that included representation from county department
who were high users of the website and interacted frequently with the public. The project is a culmination of many months
of work, requiring each department head and elected official to re-think the
way they interact with the public and begin to embrace technology to be more
responsive to the citizens of Dearborn County.
There was a concerted effort to personalize the site, including photos
of the region and elected officials and more biographic information.
“The
committee’s goal was to make the site look more inviting, professional, and
reflect patriotism without being over-the-top.
We wanted visitors to get a feel for the warmth of our community while
being functional, easy to navigate, and easier for our citizens to get the
information they need,” stated Randall.
The new site is ADA compliant to meet the needs of disabled
citizens. A bold banner on the front
page will include “breaking news” such as emergency information, road closures,
important deadline reminders, etc. as appropriate.
The
site now offers a “Report It” button. Citizens
will be able to report concerns (i.e. road conditions and other concerns) and
an email will immediately be sent to the responsible county official for timely
handling. Links to government transparency
websites, like Indiana Gateway (budget and financial information) are also
easily accessed. The “Find It” link on
the front page quickly retrieves key information; including answers to
frequently asked questions about roads, how to access services, how to get a
birth certificate, etc.
The
Commissioners believe the new website, an upgrade they say is long overdue, is
one more step toward making county government accessible and convenient for
citizens. This is another step in the
right direction and the Commissioners have the intention of continuing to
improve the site based on user feedback and are considering additional
enhancements such as providing email blasts and updates to citizens, regular
newsfeeds about projects and issues the county is working on, and generally
making better use of technology.
The
new site will be transferred and operational on Wednesday, October 8,
2014. The county does not expect any
disruption and the prior website address will automatically redirect citizens
to the new site. Citizens who experience
any difficulty accessing the site, adjusting to the new format, or wish to
provide feedback on the effectiveness of the website should contact the County
Commissioners office at (812) 537-1040 or via email to shayden@dearborncounty.in.gov.
For further
information concerning this release, contact Terri Randall, County Administrator,
at 812/532-2085 or trandall@dearborncounty.in.gov.
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