MARYSVILLE — The city of Marysville went live with its newly redesigned website to the public on May 12.
The switch from the city’s former website to a new site, designed in cooperation with government website specialists at CivicPlus, took place over the course of several days, as employees worked to finalize the transition.
Visitors to the Marysville homepage should notice the dramatic new look of the site right away. In addition to its appearance, the new site offers many features designed to help visitors find the information and services they need more quickly. Information is broken down into categories for residents, businesses and visitors. The site also includes an “I Want To” category, which provides direct links for specific information and transaction instructions.
As with the prior website, residents will be able to report graffiti, potholes and other problems through online forms, but the new site also enables them to report these concerns on the go from smartphones. All that’s required is a downloadable app for iPhones, available through the iPhone store. An app for Android-powered phones will be released later this year.
According to Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, the team redesigned the site from the citizens’ perspective.
“Our website is an excellent way to build good relationships with citizens and make visitors feel welcome,” Nehring said. “The new design allows us to present information in a smart and efficient way, whether that information is department-based or service-based. Making information easier to find is a continuing priority as the new site evolves.”
Customer service and convenience are the focus of the project, according to Doug Buell, the city’s community information officer and website manager.
“This redesign has been months in the making, but we wanted to make sure that we got it right for the benefit of our residents,” Buell said. “We chose CivicPlus from among three vendors because they were the right partner with the right design and technology base to provide the quality service our citizens deserve. Thanks to the leadership and input from the mayor, the City Council and the directors, as well as the hard work of a dozen city employees and the technical guidance offered by our partners at CivicPlus, we’ve created a powerful, user-friendly site that we can all be proud of.”
Visitors will find tools to help keep them informed about city-related public meetings, programs, news and special events. For example, a new “Notify Me” option on the homepage allows visitors to sign up to receive emergency and special alerts, news flashes and calendar notifications, via email or text message.
When accessed from smartphones or other mobile devices, CivicPlus websites automatically detect and display the mobile version, then fit to display on any mobile phone. City news and information also will be shared more easily with the addition of new social media links to Facebook and Twitter to the website.
The city paid $13,000 for project design and development, plus an annual $3,000 providing round-the-clock support, maintenance and hosting services, which includes a new content management system that designated departmental staff are trained to use.
“CivicPlus goes beyond websites to create powerful, easy-to-use community engagement systems that connect people with government in new, more efficient ways,” said Ward Morgan, CEO of CivicPlus. “Marysville officials have done a great job of providing a wide variety of activities and services to citizens, and the free software upgrades that come with our service will allow them to provide Marysville citizens with new applications as they become available.”
The city’s old web address of http://ci.marysville.wa.us is no longer in service. The city’s new web address is http://marysvillewa.gov. Email addresses should likewise reflect the change, such as janedoe@marysvillewa.gov.
