By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Union Grove’s official municipal website might look different in the near future, based on a recent preliminary discussion.
Village Administrator Connor LaPointe discussed the review underway during his routine report to the Village Board at a meeting Feb. 26.
TunaTraffic, the village’s current website provider has indicated updates to the current site will be necessary, going forward, “to prevent structural issues,” LaPointe indicated at the recent meeting.
The company’s revelation, he said, could open the door to a deeper exploration of other possibilities of what Union Grove’s municipal website might look like in the road ahead.
“I suggest using this opportunity to gather proposals from other providers, like CivicPlus and TownWeb,” LaPointe said.
Alongside its indication Union Grove’s website will be in need of upgrades, TunaTraffic representatives reportedly have indicated a fee for the improvements would be assessed onto the village. TunaTraffic’s monthly service fee also is poised to rise.
“I don’t have any qualms about our website, but I’ve seen better ones out there,” LaPointe said.
In his report to the board, LaPointe said he is reviewing CivicPlus and TownWeb and the possibilities both might bring to Union Grove for the website, which serves as a repository for an assortment of information.
Meeting agendas are posted to the website, which currently directs to uniongrove.net, as is other pertinent information, including municipal ordinances and contact information for the Village Board.
“I’ve met with CivicPlus, received their proposal and demoed their services,” LaPointe said. “A meeting with TownWeb is scheduled. Once completed, I will present both proposals – along with the TunaTraffic proposal – for the board’s consideration.”
CivicPlus and TownWeb are common municipal website providers. Each has a standard template, which might mean a completely different interface to Union Grove’s current website, which greets browsers to an overhead scrolling view of the village with drone imagery.
While the current layout of the village website does have some eye-catching appeal, board members during the preliminary discussion said there are some flaws. For example, the site in its current layout lacks the ability to search for particular keywords.
In addition to functionality, the ultimate decision on how to proceed with updates to the village’s website could be predicated on cost – both in terms of the upgrade and the monthly service fee.
Switching providers also could bring into the fold an added cost to integrate existing information onto the new platform.
LaPointe said he anticipates bringing a website vendor proposal forward to the Village Board at the next regular business meeting, scheduled for Monday, March 11.
“I wanted to put this item in front of you to get the ball rolling,” LaPointe said in his report to the board.
-
-
-
-
-