For those who believe that a strong democracy requires an informed
citizenry, municipal websites are a godsend. The sites are pretty nifty,
too, for those who are just plain curious about what’s going on around
town.
Every municipality in the county now has a website up and running.
The sites differ in levels of technological advancement and design, with
almost half undergoing redevelopment aimed at increasing their
sophistication and content. But even the most modest site already serves
as a virtual encyclopedia of civic information.
All sites provide the basics on governmental structure and current
representatives. Each site also provides some form of news feature and a
schedule of town meetings. About half the towns also post the agendas,
and minutes, of such meetings.
On some sites, you can review the full text of your town’s code. And
some sites now even offer interactive, online services enabling you to
“run errands” such as applying for a dog license, or paying for a
traffic ticket, from the convenience of your own home computer.
The best way to learn all the features of your town’s website is to
spend time navigating it.
Here are some highlights:
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Avalon, which already has a robust website, is about to undergo more
changes.
The borough used outside vendor Joyce Media, of Bridgeton, to help
develop its site, and just last week brought on a new Public Information
Officer – Scott Wahl – to work on site planning.
Improvements will make the website easier to navigate and more
interactive, Wahl said, and will include additional content and constant
updates.
“A website truly is a gateway of information for residents, visitors,
and all the local organizations and business community,” Wahl said.
He’s also interested in tone.
“People here are positive and friendly,” Wahl noted. “We want the
website to be an extension of that.”
Site features include links to civic organizations, and a live webcam
providing beach views alongside current surf and weather conditions. |
City Manager Lou Corea, a technology buff who created the city’s website
and remains its webmaster, said that since its inception in March 2001,
the site has hosted some 300,000 visitors.
Correa spends about an hour a week on site-related work. That increases
during periods like last week, when he was uploading conceptual plans
for the city’s new convention hall onto the site.
The comment box is a popular feature, Correa said, with visitors
frequently posing questions that he passes along to organizations like
the Chamber of Commerce.
Site visitors are greeted with the sounds of waves and birds. Cape May’s
code book is available, and individuals can pay court summonses online.
Additional features include: permit forms and applications; project and
grant updates; beach information; and bids and quote requests.
The city is planning to add multiple webcams to its site, Correa said,
with at least one camera situated at the Cove “so people can see the
water, scanning all the way down to the lighthouse.” |
Commissioner Joe Nietubicz designed and manages the Point’s site.
Aptly enough for a town beloved to birders around the world, the site
contains a link called “Sightings,” which links the electronic visitor
to birding hotlines and watches.
In addition to basic information relating to its governance, the Point’s
site includes interesting historical data, sub-sites on commissions
(environmental, Lake Lily, and flood plain), and a colorful newsletter
by Nietubicz entitled “The Point is …”
The site also features an on-line code book, and a nifty “eService”
enabling visitors to register for e-mail updates alerting them to
upcoming borough meetings.
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Together with the “usual suspects” of meeting schedules and information
on government reps, the Dennis site features special screens for areas
such as the Senior Center, Recreation Center, Museum & History Center,
and the Historic Home Owner’s Association.
Township Administrator Jody Alessandrine said township employees
presently use their vendor, a local developer named “Power of Production
Studio,” to post any updates.
The website is “not overly utilized,” according to Alessandrine, but
prospects of a new website are under discussion. The township is
committed to posting its codes online, Alessandrine said, but additional
future features are not yet determined. |
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Designed and maintained by Bret Matthews, of Lower Cape May Regional
High School, Lower’s site contains scads of information and forms that
could keep an interested web-surfer busy for hours.
Downloadable forms include applications for yard sales, raffles, dog
licenses, and marriage licenses, as well as all forms required for
construction projects. The construction department sub-site even offers
full text of building codes.
The site also publishes bid descriptions, enabling contractors to review
and bid on Township work, and enabling the public to bid on surplus
municipal items.
Township employee Eileen Kreis handles some of the day-to-day work
involved in keeping up with postings. |
Though the township used an outside firm to construct its first website
in March 2002, employee Leigh Ann Russ is the self-taught webmaster who
redesigned the format in January 2006 and now handles the site.
Middle posts meeting agendas and minutes for regular government meetings
as well as work sessions, together with other information that
department heads feel will be helpful to the public.
“The more information we post, the better the site is,” Russ said. She
noted that the site gets “lots of hits” just before meeting dates,
indicating that residents are using the site’s calendar and/or agendas.
The township’s code book is online, as are many forms and applications,
minutes of Township Committee meetings dating back to 2002, and a
recently-added weekly “crime blotter” in addition to a detailed monthly
police report. |
Almost 150,000 visitors have used the city’s robust site since its
introduction in early 2005. Superintendent of Recreation Buddy Tarbotton
participated in that initial effort.
“I had enough tech savvy to get myself in trouble,” Tarbotton said with
a chuckle, noting township employees Steve and Nicole DeHorsey now take
the laboring oar on postings, while George Joyce at Joyce Media serves
as webmaster.
Tarbotton said the city tries to make the site “as user-friendly as
possible, give the public as much information as possible.” Features
include detailed coverage of current municipal projects, and useful
links to community organizations. There’s even a link to online
government auctions.
“It’s part of today’s world – you have to have access,” Tarbotton said.
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Organized and informative, the home screen of Ocean City’s website
provides options for the “resident,” the potential city “visitor,” and
the “business” operator.
A “What’s new” feature provides a wealth of information on community
topics like the Route 52 causeway bridge replacement, and the site’s
calendar is among the most comprehensive of all county sites.
This snazzy site also offers on-line services enabling users to purchase
beach badges, pay parking tickets, and buy tickets for Ocean City Pops
events, directly from their home computer. |
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Sea Isle’s site offers a full array of substantive information on timely
topics. Currently, it includes presentations on a “blueprint for the
future” and the city’s budget process, as well as a comprehensive Smart
Growth endorsement plan that will guide future land use.
Additional features include an online auction and a lovely photo
collection, including aerial views of the city.
Employees Patti Ann Poniterro and Carmela Desiderio are responsible for
keeping the site up to date. |
Mayor Suzanne Walters notes that “we have designed this site to be a
source of information for our residents, seasonal visitors, and guests
as well as our business community,” and the site delivers.
Against a backdrop of lush sea-side photography, the site includes
features such as the full text of the borough’s master plan and code, as
well as a general elevations map.
Users can pay both traffic tickets and property taxes online, and they
also can download forms such as Planning Board applications directly
from their home. |
Township Engineer Paul Dietrich handles the township website, which
contains a large number of onsite forms. These include forms for
applying for OPRA requests, employment with the township, certified
property lists, dog licenses, landlord’s certificates, and a full array
of applications put before the township’s land use boards.
The current home page links visitors to a recent issue of New Jersey
Monthly, ranking Upper Township No. 2 among the 100 “best places to
live” in New Jersey. |
The borough’s interesting website bespeaks its hometown quality,
beginning with historical information offered at its home page.
Though the borough uses an outside vendor for construction and design,
Mayor Pam Kaithern has responsibility for updates.
Together with standard features, the site offers a unique “Engineering
Report,” providing the public with details (and, in some cases,
schedules) of current municipal projects.
Numerous forms are online, as well as access to the borough’s code and a
host of land use documents – from the Historic Preservation Commission
guidelines to a “simplified zoning chart.” |
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Borough employee Maria Sharkey, who designed the borough’s website in
2005, has responsibility for current updates.
Just now, she said, she is in the process of adding new online forms
(including a mercantile license application), as well as information
relating to the borough’s Fourth of July festival.
Presently, the site contains information on property taxes, trash and
recycling, government representatives and meetings. It also links to the
borough police and fire departments, which maintain separate websites. |
“Websites are a great tool,” said Mayor Ernie Troiano, “but ours is
absolutely horrible, and we’re in the process of updating it.”
The mayor’s candor perhaps didn’t give sufficient props, for the city’s
website does provide access to some city ordinances and land use
regulations, as well as useful links to related agencies and
organizations.
“Websites are becoming like newspapers,” Troiano noted. “They allow us
to put up information that the residents really care about, and though
not everybody is computer literate yet, more and more people are
learning.”
Commissioner William Davenport is working on site redevelopment, Troiano
said. |
Assistant Recreation Supervisor Brian Cunniff, who assists with daily
postings for this robust site (and also writes for this paper), is an
avid proponent of municipal sites.
“It’s a way for towns to get what they feel is important information, in
proper form,” said Cunniff. “And more and more people are using it each
day to get their information.”
The Crest’s website contains enough information to keep an interested
resident busy for hours. Cunniff says it is also geared to serving
potential visitors who are planning vacations. “They not only get
everything there is to know about the borough, but we have links to
places like (the Greater Wildwood Tourism Improvement and Development
Authority),” he noted.
Cunniff also noted that services such as online forms are benefitting
both residents and municipal employees, in cutting down on trips to
borough hall and mailing.
“Whether it’s a right-to-know inquiry or a crafts show registration,
they just download the form,” he said.
The borough welcomes residents’ comments about the site, Cunniff said,
and it has built many site improvements in response to public input. |
Woodbine has the distinction of being the only municipal website in the
county whose home page begins with a quote from Shakespeare, and its
overall design and content follows that impressive opening.
Mayoral assistant Maryjaye Sypniewski is responsible for updates and she
has an excellent source of reference: her husband Bernard Sypniewski is
webmaster. The multi-talented Bernard teaches computer science and
design at Rowan’s Camden Campus, and also serves as the borough’s public
defender.
“The municipal website is the tool of the future,” Mayor William
Pikolycky told this paper.
“With the website, whether you’re a municipality or a business, you can
really grow and make the information available that your clients are
looking for,” the Mayor said, noting that Woodbine is committed to
keeping its site updated on a regular basis to “tell people things that
are happening and things that are planned.”
Pikolycky noted that the site receives “not only local hits, but hits
from people who have interest in the community, and people who lived
here at one time and want to stay in touch.” |
