Goodyear outlines phased website overhaul, emphasizing accessibility and mobile access

Goodyear staff presented a phased strategic plan update on May 4 to modernize the city’s website, outlining goals to reduce clicks to frequently used services, consolidate multiple platforms under a single umbrella, improve cybersecurity, and meet new federal accessibility guidelines.

Tammy Vo, the city’s digital communications director, told the council the last full redesign was in 2014 (with a refresh in 2020) and that user behavior has changed substantially. “We want to make it easy for people to visit our website and keep them coming back for more information,” Vo said, noting specific examples: reporting a problem will move from one place on the current site to three prominent locations on the new site, and council meeting agendas and videos will require fewer clicks to access.

Vo said the project focuses on three priorities: resident‑focused navigation, consolidated platform efficiency for staff, and accessibility to comply with upcoming federal requirements for government websites. The team is also testing chatbot tools to help answer resident questions and plans cybersecurity improvements. Staff reported analytics showing rising social engagement and said more than half of users access the site from mobile devices, prompting a mobile‑first redesign.

Council members offered feedback during a question period. Several members urged clearer volunteer sign‑up procedures and better linking between volunteer opportunities and boards and commissions. One councilmember said Recreation Center program listings and pool hours should be easier for seniors to find. Councilmember Trey and others requested improved mobile navigation because the current site sometimes requires rotating a phone to landscape to access tabs. A council member suggested exploring a single sign‑on for city employees, rec center users and utility customers to simplify account access.

Timeline and rollout: staff said four subsites (Ballpark, the GRC, economic development and tourism) will go live between now and summer, with the main site (goodyearaz.gov) planned before the end of the year to reduce risk through a phased approach. Vo said staff engaged residents, employees and the council via a survey and user testing and invited further council feedback and training materials for members.

What happens next: staff will continue development, integrate council feedback, run user tests on bots, and provide training materials to council members when the phased launches begin.