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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3i: Retention of Vision Internet Providers for Redesign of City Website and Purchase of Updated Content Management System ti � OF I ljr ION Au.u.l Sr 1 STAFF REPORT Office of the City Manager DATE: June 21, 2011 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Don Penman, City Manage "' By: Linda Garcia, Co , unications, Marketing and Special Projects Manag -► SUBJECT: RETENTION OF VISION INTERNET PROVIDERS, INC. FOR A REDESIGN OF THE CITY WEBSITE AND PURCHASE OF AN UPDATED CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO OPERATE SAID WEBSITE FOR A COST OF UP TO $35,000.00 Recommendation: Approve SUMMARY The current City website was launched in July 2004. While it continues to be a functional site, the content management system that runs the website is outdated and cumbersome by today's technology standards. Further, the design, innovative when the website first launched, is now limited in terms of navigation and how information is presented to the public. With this report staff is seeking Council approval to upgrade the City website and because it is more efficient both in terms of money and time, to do so using our existing contractor rather than soliciting proposals for the creation of a new site. DISCUSSION The City website is an essential tool to communicate with the public. Staff does not believe it has eclipsed direct mail as the most effective communication vehicle however, use of government websites by the public is gaining in popularity and the Internet certainly has an advantage over publications such as the City Newsletter and the Hot Sheet when it comes to timeliness and having information available at the moment it is needed by the public. Moreover, the ability for residents to stay informed about what is being discussed at City Council meetings through the provision of meeting agendas, minutes and staff reports on the website is about as convenient as it can logistically get. As mentioned above, the system we are currently using for the City website is outdated and therefore restricts what can be done with the site. The new system, combined with graphic and navigation improvements, will create not only a more appealing website, but one that is more efficient to operate, something that is important given the limited staff resources available to maintain the site. The new content management system has a number of improvements but one that staff is particularly pleased about is the e- Mayor and City Council — website upgrade June 21, 2011 Page 2 notification tool that will enable us to bring back the ability to send brief and timely messages to the community via a list serve. If this project is approved we will be bringing back "ArcadiaMail," a service provided several years ago with much success. To keep people coming back to the website it must remain current, useful, interesting and user - friendly. With the improved functionality that will be provided through the upgrade staff will be in a better position to achieve these goals resulting in a better experience for the end user. The project is broken out as follows: Sitemap changes /reorganization $5,000 Graphic Redesign $10,000 Content Management System $15,000 Staff training $4,970 Staff is recommending that Vision Internet Providers be selected for this project because they have extensive experience in the creation of municipal websites and in fact are widely thought of as the premier developer of such sites. Additionally, since we already use the initial version of their content management system the City needs to pay only for the upgrade and redesign rather than the creation of a new site as would be required with the selection of a new vendor. In addition to the functional and design elements that will be achieved, it is staffs intent to return consistency in appearance on the site among department pages. As part of this project departments will be asked to review their pages to make sure the information contained within their section is current and comprehensive without being overloaded, and to reduce the amount and size of clip art and outside logos. Certainly, all government agencies that have a website endeavor to make it unique to the city's image and constituency, as does each department within the city. Notwithstanding that, there is consensus among cities, professional communication and webmaster organizations and website developers, that a clean, easy to read and follow appearance that makes valuable use of appropriate images and "white space" creates the most effective website. This view echoes the comments staff has received about our site. Work on this project is expected to begin in the fall. FISCAL IMPACT Sufficient funds for this project are available in the fiscal year 2010 -2011 operating budget. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council authorize the City Manager to retain Vision Internet Providers, Inc. for a redesign of the City website and purchase of an upgraded content management system as outlined in this report.