CityOfWasilla.com has been recognized by Juggle as one of the top city government websites in the state of Alaska. Below you'll find an interview with Amanda Charles, Deputy City Clerk & Webmaster for the City of Wasilla.
- CityOfWasilla.com is a top-notch web portal; what has been your role in its development?
The City of Wasilla is a firm believer in encouraging its employees to think above and beyond. It is my responsibility to make sure all employees are trained on the capabilities of CityOfWasilla.com and assist them in reaching their goals for their department’s web pages.
- Can you summarize the history of Wasilla's web portal?
In 2008 the City of Wasilla decided to upgrade its website. To this end the City worked with Vision Internet, who was able to provide us with a complete turnkey solution. Since the launch of the new website in 2008 the City’s website has seen phenomenal growth; in large part due to its recent popularity in the media.
- What are the overarching objectives of Wasilla's current e-government initiatives?
CityOfWasilla.com strives to continually meet the needs of the ever changing community. Keeping in mind the changes in trends and technology, the City is working towards offering more eCommerce features, such as the availability to pay your water and sewer bills online. Additionally, in the very near future the City is looking at entering the world of social networking and mobile computing to better connect with its citizens.
- From a marketing standpoint, what are some of the strategies that you have utilized to draw attention to the information and services provided by CityOfWasilla.com, both on- and off-line?
We are continually trying inform the public of the services and information available at the CityOfWasilla.com. Current paid advertising includes such venues as the local radio stations and newspapers. We’ve even taken it a step further and incorporated CityOfWasilla.com into all written stationary and communication which comes from the City.
- How has citizen feedback influenced the development of Wasilla's e-government services?
The City strives for open communication with its citizens. When opinions and needs are voiced, at any level, they are addressed and implemented as appropriate. A good example of this can be seen with the improvements to the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center web pages with the availability of the reservation and scheduling calendar.
- What is the most-used feature or service on the site?
The most used service on the City website is the eNotifier option for City job openings.
- How many people currently use your eNotices service, and how does this provide citizens greater access to real-time government information?
Currently there are 300+ users of the eNotices service. This is a feature which allows citizens to choose what information they would like to be emailed directly to them as it becomes live on CityOfWasilla.com.
- In developing the Wasilla website what were some of the obstacles that had to be overcome? How did you surpass them?
A major goal in the new design of CityOfWasilla.com was to not appear to be just another government website. Color choice was the main obstacle the City had to overcome when coming up with a design concept.
Another consideration that was very important was the ability for the average user to modify and create new content on CityOfWasilla.com. City employees are trained in-house and can be making changes to their web pages the same day that their user account is requested.
- What else that you would like to tell us about CityOfWasilla.com?
The City of Wasilla is dedicated to its citizens and we will continue to grow and improve CityOfWasilla.com to better serve its citizens through improved access to information and availability of services.