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Simsbury previews new town website; managers set "within a month" rollout, ADA and search still pending
Summary
Town staff previewed a redesigned website built on a vendor platform and said public feedback drove navigation and contact‑form changes. Search indexing and some vendor fixes remain pending; staff said they aim to go live within about a month and continue post‑launch corrections.
Interim technology staff presented the town’s redesigned CivicPlus website and summarized changes driven by public and departmental feedback: clearer front‑page links to agendas and minutes, dedicated contact forms for boards and commissions to limit direct email exposure, a more Simsbury‑focused homepage image and reorganized navigation to bring government pages and meetings more prominently forward.
Staff said the team compiled public comments into a color‑coded spreadsheet of resolved and outstanding items, and that the town is working with the vendor to address accessibility (Section 508) issues and other template limitations. The presenters said the site’s search indexing cannot be enabled until the new site is live (to avoid erroneous public search results) and that the full rollout was targeted "within a month," including ongoing quality‑control work by departments.
Board members pressed for a firm release date, an external user‑testing plan beyond departmental review and confirmation on ADA/508 compliance. Town leadership said they opened a public beta for comment and have engaged departments to keep both old and new sites updated during the transition; they asked selectmen to continue forwarding user feedback to staff so outstanding items can be prioritized.
