CentennialColorado.com has been recognized by Juggle as one of the top city government websites in the state of Colorado. Below you'll find an interview with Allison Wittern, Public Information and Special Events Manager for the City of Centennial.
- CentennialColorado.com is a top-notch web portal; what has been your role in its development?
The purpose of the City of Centennial's Web site is to have dynamic and up to date information available for the residents of Centennial. My role is to assure the latest information is online.
- Can you summarize the history of Centennial's web portal?
The City of Centennial was formed in 2001. Once the City was formed there was a need to communicate efficiently and effectively with residents. Therefore the City Web site was established. In November 2007, the existing site was launched which has more information and is easier to access than the previous site. It is important for the City of Centennial to be transparent to our residents, having a City Web site allows this.
- What are the overarching objectives of Centennial's current e-government initiatives?
The objective for to offer relevant and up to date information; to provide transparency to residents and taxpayers; to allow interactive government with online requests for service; and e-commerce with online payments and scheduling. Centennial's e-government initiative is to consistently have the latest information about the City available to our residents.
- From a marketing standpoint, what are some of the strategies that you have utilized to draw attention to the information and services provided by CentennialColorado.com, both on- and off-line?
We use a variety of tools to market the site such as press releases, the City newsletter, local media. There is an option on the home page of the City site titled E-NEWS SIGN UP. Visitors may register to receive many different types of information such as employment opportunities, news releases, planning and development updates and more. This allows visitors to receive information about topics they want to know about. In addition the City uses RSS technology to send updates on pages, new features and news stories.
- How has citizen feedback influenced the development of Centennial's e-government services?
The citizens have helped us grow in the area of e-government with the additional functionalities of paying sales tax returns online, scheduling passport appointments, viewing the City Council Meetings, accessing the City's expenditures (transparency) and more. Our citizens play a vital role in ensuring that we are reaching them effectively with helpful tools. The feedback received from visitors is typically positive. The majority of feedback received lets us know that the site has a lot of valuable information. The search function is effective. However, if something is not easily found on the site and if the City receives that feedback we will do what it takes to make the information easier to locate. In addition, if there is a request for certain topic or information to be added to the site, we are willing to do this. The City of Centennial prides itself on listening to our citizens and if there is information that is important to one, then it is likely important to others.
- What is the most-used feature or service on the site?
Currently the most used feature on the site is the Employment module. While we haven't implemented the online job application, this is still a highly visited area with users signing up to receive the updates of new jobs that are posted.
- How has your Citizen Response Center allowed citizens to interact more with the city government and receive more information on pressing concerns?
Our Citizen Response Center is utilized mainly to report problems or issues around the City, for instance potholes, weeds, etc. When citizens use this area of the Response Center, they receive notification that their issue has been logged and a Citizen Responder contacts them within 48 hours, and in most cases receive an initial contact within 24 hours.
- How are you using your e-services to make common government-related tasks easier for citizens?
An example of utilizing the City Web site to make government related tasks easier for citizens is by giving residents the ability to listen to City Council meetings allowing residents the flexibility to listen to the meetings at their convenience if they cannot attend a meeting. In addition, if a citizen has to pay a ticket, file their sales tax application or wants to set up a time to get a passport, all of these things can be accomplished through our online services saving our citizens time.
- In developing the Centennial Web site what were some of the obstacles that had to be overcome? How did you surpass them?
Our biggest obstacle when launching our current site was getting content to fill our pages, which meant writing and finding photographs to help enhance pages. As a new City, we were starting from scratch when it came to developing copy and finding photos.
- Where do you see e-government heading in the next 2-3 years? Are there any exciting new features or services currently in the works for Centennial's web portal?
We hope to begin utilizing Facebook and Twitter as an additional communication tool. In addition, we are looking to enhance our Citizen Response Center with a request tracking tool and an online Employment Application that will tie to jobs.
- What else that you would like to tell us about CentennialColorado.com?
This is a site that is constantly evolving. Our goal is to be transparent, listen to the needs of the citizens and provide them with the information to know what is happening in their City.