Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Digital Accessibility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County begins digital‑accessibility planning and approves Loomly social‑media subscription renewal
Summary
Marketing staff updated supervisors on a federal/DOJ‑driven WCAG requirement that counties with population over 50,000 must have an accessibility plan by April 24, 2026. The board approved a Loomly social‑media platform renewal despite a vendor price increase; staff said funds exist in the marketing budget and accessibility planning will proceed.
Marketing coordinator Gabby DeWitt briefed the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors on new digital‑accessibility expectations and a Loomly social‑media subscription renewal at the Sept. 2 meeting.
DeWitt said federal guidance and Department of Justice enforcement related to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have shifted accessibility from voluntary best practice to a requirement that counties above a 50,000 population threshold must demonstrate a plan by April 24, 2026. She recommended that the county create a written accessibility plan, audit high‑traffic pages first, train content creators, and consider a vendor retainer to help with remediation and staff training. DeWitt noted the county’s CivicPlus website had more than 500 active PDFs; she said archived or non‑front‑facing documents may be excepted, but that frequently accessed documents should be made accessible or remediated.
DeWitt also asked the board to approve renewal of the Loomly social‑media scheduling platform. The county’s existing Loomly plan cost about $1,700; DeWitt reported Loomly notified the county of a price increase of roughly $1,288 on renewal (bringing the annual cost to about $2,900). She said the marketing budget already contains a professional services line and can absorb the increase for the fiscal year. The board approved the Loomly renewal on a motion and second.
Why it matters: Compliance with WCAG and DOJ expectations exposes municipal websites to legal risk if there is no plan to remediate accessible content. DeWitt recommended building a budget line for ongoing remediation, auditing the highest‑use pages first, and engaging users who rely on assistive technology for feedback.
Next steps: DeWitt said staff will draft an accessibility plan by year‑end, begin training for content creators, audit high‑use pages, check references for potential vendor partners, and identify what documents can be archived versus remediated. The board did not authorize a specific vendor; staff will return with proposals and reports as the plan is implemented.
