Idea #412 – Modernize Town Website

Report Status: Fully Reviewed

Researched by: Matthew Gasbarro

Original Idea as Submitted

Create a modern website with integration into social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter so that residents can stay informed of news and events. The Town has to do a better job of reaching out to residents and communicating with them in ways residents access information, which is social media, and not visiting a website from 1995.

There should also be a daily digest of that day's and upcoming meetings, events, news, and other important information. Such a notification can be posted to the town website, emailed to those who have subscribed to it through the town website, posted on an official town Facebook account and Twitter handle. Get with the modern times and stop living in the stone age (pre-2000).

Other ideas included in this report

  • None

Idea intent

This idea is to create a revamped Town of Belmont website that facilitates dissemination of information, such as events, news, and meetings, directly to the residents of Belmont via social media channels. Although information is posted to the Town’s website, the Town is reliant on residents to visit it. This idea would bring Belmont news directly to the residents via social media versus relying on the residents having to frequent the website to check for new or updated information.

Weighted Final Score: 43 (Financial Impact: 1, Operational Impact: 6, Time Scale: 2, Ease of Implementation: 3)

Background Information

On March 16, 2020, the Belmont Select Board approved the formation of a Website Renewal Committee consisting of nine members from the public, representatives from Town government and various Belmont committees, serving a 1-year term with the following charge:

Purpose :

The Belmont Website Renewal Committee will be a temporary working group created by the Select Board to conduct a comprehensive review of Belmont's public facing Town website(s). As we move further into the 21st century, more and more services are moving online while more and more residents embrace an "online" and "mobile first" approach to obtaining information and transactional business. "Web pages" cannot remain static but must serve as the "front door" for wired communities like Belmont.

Objectives :

  1. The Belmont Website Renewal Committee will study use patterns and public sentiment about the Town's current web site

  2. The committee will interface with Town departments to understand how they use the current web site and identify opportunities for making more information and services available to residents online

  3. The committee will prepare a summary report on existing operation of current website.

  4. Based on the review the committee should recommend one of the following:

    a. Keep the current website (CIVIC PLUS)

    i.  If modifications and updates are needed define those

    b. Host the website internally

    i.  Identify resources needed for this

    c. Go out to bid for a new vendor

  5. If C is recommended, the committee should create the RFP and assist in evaluating the vendors.

Recommendations

  • Pursue creation of a new town website in accordance with the recommendations and next steps from the Website Renewal Committee. A modern functional website is required to implement other ideas submitted to the Structural Change Impact Group concerning communication, efficiency, transparency, and resident satisfaction.

  • The following recommendations were forwarded to the Website Renewal Committee:

    • The Website Renewal Committee consider social media integration as a means of reaching the residents of Belmont directly and assess the capabilities to do so from perspective vendors.

    • The Website Renewal Committee consider inclusion of visual and interactive data capabilities such that Town budget and financial data can be searched, filtered, charted, and displayed to provide residents with richer and enhanced interaction. (see Idea #38)

      The Website Renewal Committee consult with Belmont departments and Select Board on what type of information can be disseminated via social media, the frequency of posts, and identify the responsible person overseeing creation and approval of social media posts.

    • Website Renewal Committee should also consider integration with a “311” system (see Idea #221)

Next Steps

  • The Select Board set a timeline for producing a final report and an implementation plan from the Website Renewal Committee and plan for implementing the new website as proposed.

Further Reading