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Finance committee seeks vendor demo after proposal for website redesign and curated search
Summary
Administrator Rindy told the committee the city's Revise website subscription is due for renewal and proposed a redesign plus a one‑time curated search to improve results; members asked for a vendor presentation and formation of a small review group.
The Finance and Taxation Committee discussed a proposed website redesign and a one‑time curated search to improve the city's online search results. Administrator Rindy said the city’s current site was created about five years ago through Revise and the proposal is to continue with a subscription model while pursuing a redesign to make the site more user‑friendly.
"This is administrator Rindy," she said, later describing the search upgrade as "one time additional fee of, like, the $1,500 to do the curated search so that it improves." Members repeatedly emphasized that the site should surface municipal content rather than sponsored results and should be optimized for mobile devices.
Committee members pressed Rindy on whether the work would be a surface 'refresh' or a deeper 'redesign.' Rindy said Revise can support a redesign that moves links and changes page structure, while some photo or cosmetic updates could be handled in‑house. She cited examples of other municipalities that have recently updated their sites, including North Fond du Lac and the Village of Arlington Heights, and suggested the committee and a smaller creative subgroup share ideas and examples of what they want.
Members expressed frustration with the current search experience. The chair said searches often returned generic web results instead of the city’s ballot and agenda information, making it hard for residents to find what they need. The administrator said a curated search is intended to reduce those 'junk' results and make key items—utilities, elections, agendas, calendar—more prominent.
The committee did not approve a contract at the meeting. Instead, members asked that Revise present a demonstration so they could ask questions directly and that a smaller group of interested members and residents preview proposed designs before a larger council discussion. Administrator Rindy said she would schedule a vendor presentation, incorporate feedback into the 05:15 report for the council, and follow up with the committee.
