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Township says website host retiring; council provides feedback on redesign and requests user-friendly features
Summary
Town staff told council that the township's current website host is retiring and the municipality is migrating to a new vendor; councilmembers suggested quick wins and longer-term improvements including easier bill-pay links, a better calendar, park reservation information and a reporting/ticketing workflow.
Town staff told the Township Council on March 24 that the municipality's current website host (City Connections) is retiring and that the township is migrating to a new host and redesigning the site. The administration asked councilmembers for actionable feedback to inform the site map and design.
Carrie (administration staff) said the current vendor agreed to host the site until the new platform is ready and that the IT staff is temporarily out of the office; she said a site map and template screenshots have been shared with council members. "The current host of our website, City Connections, is in the process of retiring," Carrie said. "They will continue to host our website until the new one is up and running, but that is the reason why we have transitioned or are in process of transitioning over to a new host and design."
Councilmembers recommended user-focused features as short-term "quick wins": clearer online bill-pay links, a prominent "how do I" or "how-to" section, an improved calendar with meeting and event sign-up capabilities, visible information on parks and rentals, and an easy way for residents to report issues (potholes, missed pickups) with photo upload and geolocation. Several members suggested a mobile app as a longer-term goal for photo-based reporting and two-way status updates.
Administration said some items can be implemented during migration at little or no additional budget cost; others may require additional software or process changes and would be brought back to council if funding is required. The IT staff will meet with the new vendor after returning to the office and provide timetable updates to council.
