WESTHAMPTON — The town is looking for a team of four volunteers who will help oversee the development of a new municipal website.

After applying for the state’s Community Company IT Grant Program in September, the town was notified in November that it had been awarded a grant of $39,340, said Doug Finn, administrative assistant for the town. The town’s proposal met the state’s goal of “driving innovation and transformation at the local level via investments in technology,” Finn added.

In developing the town’s master plan as part of the state Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which provides support for cities and towns in Massachusetts to begin the process of planning for climate change resiliency and implementing priority projects, there was considerable feedback from the community during public listening sessions that the town website needed significant improvement.

“It doesn’t meet the needs of the town,” said Finn. “It leaves a lot to be desired.”

The town’s website, which was created by CivicPlus around 2013, offers the public access to meeting agendas, minutes and meeting recordings, and includes public information like town bylaws and policies.

However, the website is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and does not comply with multiple platforms due to design limitations and patterns of use.

“The website looks different depending on the device used by the viewer and it filters access to information,” Finn said. “The website is difficult to access and maintain, with procedures that are at times frustratingly complex for basic users. The end result is that, in many cases, the site delivers out-of-date content which can’t be easily updated by town departments and volunteer board members.”

With the Community Company IT Grant, the town hopes to launch a new website that’s hosted on a secure, modern and fully compliant platform with clear and user-friendly content and calendar management. The grant will fund the technical costs of developing the site as well as professional training for municipal staff.

One of the principal goals will be to have universal and “three-click” access to high-priority information regardless of the skill level of the user.

As part of the state requirements of the grant, the town will need to conduct a survey to establish residents’ expectations of the website, including their preferred methods of delivery of information for municipal activities such as meeting agendas, meeting minutes and videos.

The program also requires a study group to oversee the development of the website that will audit different website hosting platforms, determine one that provides for the town’s needs with the lowest technical skill set, and oversee the development of a new, responsive and compliant website management system.

A second survey will be conducted after the launch of the new website platform to ensure that all the needs of residents have been met.

Those interested in participating in the committee will need to invest one year of time to the creation of the website. Ideally, candidates will have a background in website development or experience in public relations, but Finn says all interested parties are welcome to submit their name for consideration.

Interested candidates should provide their contact information and a letter explaining their background in an email to Finn at Administration@westhamptonma.org.

Emily Thurlow can be reached at ethurlow@gazettenet.com.]]>