Improving Efficiency & Accessibility with a New Web Platform

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

James City County launched a new website in 2016, bringing the County’s old site—which had seen many incremental iterations over 15 years—into the modern era of online communication and engagement. Our team built content for the new site entirely from the ground up; we re-wrote and constructed thousands of new pages over a six-month period and introduced dozens of new features to improve online engagement and accessibility. Our key objectives were to have a visually dynamic site that highlighted the unique history and vibrant community of James City County while improving accessibility by making the site available to all users anywhere. We are now fully mobile responsive, servicing approximately 50% of daily users visiting our site from a smartphone or tablet. Many new online components allow citizens to receive email, text or push notifications through subscriptions when new information is posted—subscribers are automatically reminded of upcoming events and important deadlines and receive instant notice of the latest County news. The County government and local businesses saved thousands of dollars in 2016 through our new bid procurement system, which allows vendors to apply for and download bid documents electronically, cutting down on significant printing and postage costs. Citizens also benefit from reduced paperwork—many forms have been converted to electronic versions that are sent to the right County employee when submitted online. This new online form service has been a hugely popular tool, with over 5,300 submissions since launching the site in 2016. Every form that is submitted online is one less phone call that a citizen has to make to a County office or one less letter delivered—which amounts to an average of 21 per work day.