One Year After Launch, Belmont Website Takes Community Engagement to New Heights
Municipal Site Features Interactive Maps, Online Surveys and Dynamic Content
Apr 21, 2015, 06:00 ET
SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- One year after Belmont, Calif. launched a new municipal website, www.belmont.gov, developed in partnership with online government experts at Vision Internet, the City reports that the site has become a central hub for engagement with its 26,000 residents.
"We've made good use of Vision Internet's online survey tools, interactive maps and flexible content management system," said Belmont's Geographic Information Systems Coordinator Jason Eggers. "They make it easy to keep our site up-to-date and dynamic."
This month, a community feedback survey is prominently displayed on Belmont's homepage as the City seeks to engage residents in a community conversation on priorities and plans for the future.
"We've garnered hundreds of responses through the online survey," Eggers said. "We still do community outreach, workshops and social media, but consider our website the central hub for community conversations, such as the current discussion on long-range planning and community prioritization. From that standpoint, the website is a great tool and tremendous asset for us."
Belmont utilizes the functionality of the Vision Internet content management system and facility directory to provide interactive maps that update residents on city projects, road closures and street sweeping schedules. A GIS mapping portal also provides directions to parks and other facilities.
The City has received kudos for the website's engaging Historical Photo Tour, which pairs Belmont Historical Society photos with current snapshots of buildings and areas.
"Belmont has been extremely creative in its use of interactive maps and its "then and now" photo tour of the city," said Ashley Fruechting, Vision Internet's senior director of strategic partnerships. "Their GIS mapping portal represents community-website engagement at its best."
According to Eggers, Belmont's former website was difficult to update, organize and search for specific information. He calls Vision Internet's flexible content management system, with its ability to work smoothly and seamlessly with other apps and platforms, "awesome" for users as well as the City's backend contributors and editors.
"A year later, we're still excited about our website, and even more excited about where it will be a year from now," said Eggers. "I think that says a lot about Vision Internet. We know our website is not yet perfect, but we have the tools to make it better every day."
For information about Vision Internet's transformative government website technology, please call 888-263-8847 or visit visioninternet.com/inforequest.
About Vision Internet
Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., Vision Internet is a national leader in government website development with more than 600 government, non-profit and education clients in U.S. and Canadian communities with populations that range from less than 1,000 residents to more than 5 million. The company creates cost-effective solutions that increase government efficiency, transparency and interactive communications with citizens. For nearly 20 years, the company has earned hundreds of prestigious awards for its unique websites. Vision Internet's visionCMS™ is a powerful, easy-to-use content management system developed with feedback from hundreds of municipal clients.
SOURCE Vision Internet