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Albert Lea to launch redesigned city website June 24; new features include accessibility tools and staff directory
Summary
City staff previewed a redesigned Albert Lea City website in test mode, citing a $44,850 contract with Planetaria, $5,500/year hosting, improved accessibility, translation options and a staff directory; launch is planned for June 24 and no council action was required tonight.
Kathy Malakowski, who presented the site to the council, said the redesigned Albert Lea City website is currently in test mode and is scheduled to go live on June 24.
"Very excited to show you the city's new website, which is right now in test mode," Malakowski said, and asked council members to review the test link and send corrections. She told the council the contract with the winning vendor, Planetaria of Santa Rosa, California, was $44,850 and annual hosting, maintenance and support will cost about $5,500.
Malakowski described features aimed at accessibility and transparency: an accessibility menu with tools for visual impairments and dyslexia, language-translation options (up to 45 languages available to reflect local school-district languages), a searchable staff directory filtered by department, a parks-and-trails directory with maps, and a "report a problem" service to submit non‑emergency issues such as potholes or street lights.
"We have a lot of great things happening here in Albert Lea, and I think our new website is going to reflect all those great things happening," she said, noting the current site receives about 20,000 page views per month and roughly 60% of users access it by mobile device.
Councilors asked about security and who would update content. Malakowski said the site will be hosted on a U.S.-based server with 24/7 support through Planetaria. "If our site is hacked again, we can call them and they will take care of the problem," she said. She added staff will look to "leverage" social media posts from police, fire and other departments so that news items posted on social feeds also appear on the website.
The presentation was informational; Mayor Murray and council members thanked Malakowski and staff for their work. No vote was required. The city plans a public launch and asked the public to report content corrections before June 24.
