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Home My WebLink About8.2 City of Dublin Website Features and Tools '� � STAFF REPORT PARKS & COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION DATE: December 14,2015 T�: Honorable Chair and Commissioners FROM: Micki Cronin, Assistant Director of Parks and Community �j(,�' �(�(,i� Services SUBJECT: City of Dublin Website Features and Tools By:Khonda Franklin,Management Analy.rt IXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Parks and Community Services Commission will receive an overview of the newly redesigned Ciry of Dublin website. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None RECOMMENDATION: Receive the Report. DESCRIPTION: In September 2015, the City of Dublin official website, www.dublin.ca.gov, was redesigned in an effort to enhance the website's look and to unprove usability. Designed with the user experience in mind, the new website is visually appealing, featuring a cleaner look and feel that also reflects the City's new brand. Search and navigation functions were streamlined and relabeled to be more intuitive for the user. Staff studied website analytics to determine the website pages and features that were most popular. With this information, Staff reformatted the website so that the most popular pages would be more easily accessible. The website utilizes the latest technology and is compatible with current browsers and mobile devices, including a "responsive design" that automatically resizes the website for any device (computer, laptop, mobile phone, and tablet). To reach all residents of Dublin's growing and diverse population, Staff also added a Google Translate button so that the website can be viewed in every language. In addition to the new website, the City's mobile app,"MyDublinCA,"was also redesigned to reflect the look of the new website. The front page of the website features categories by key areas: ITEM NO: 8.2 A • Government — includes further links for information on Mayor/City Council, Departments, Municipal Code,Elections,Local Appointment,etc. • Services — includes information on Animal Control, Housing, Human Services, a New Resident Guide,Neighborhood Watch, etc. • Business — includes information on Business Licenses, Business Incenrives, Available Space, ' Demographics,Economic Development, etc. • I Want To... — includes informarion to apply for Employment, Building Permits; to view public documents, such as City Council Reports, Finance Reports, Frequently Asked Questions; to register for Recreation Programs or Voting; and to Volunteer. The front page also highlights links such as: • Report an Issue—to report concerns or issues. • Stay Infotmed—to sign up to receive notifications. • Agendas �tnd Minutes — to view upcoming and archived City Council agendas, staff reports, and minutes. • Activity Guide—to view the current Activiry Guide for classes,activities, and events. The goals for the redesign included the ability for visitors to easily find information, be engaged, stay informed, and continue to report concerns or questions. The following are descriptions of website applications that facilitate these goals: View Latest News This feature lists the latest news from all City departments. It includes information on events, communiry activities, ground breaking ceremonies, and opportunities for public service and input, such as volunteer opportunities and surveys. New Resident Guide The New Resident Guide provides the infortnation new residents may need for utilities, government and schools,waste services,transportation,maps,recreation,and safety. Volunteer Information On an ongoing basis, the City provides volunteer opportunities and ways to get involved. Throughout the year, there are often volunteer opportunities available at the Heritage Park and Museums and Dublin Senior Center. There are also annual volunteer opportunities at special events and sports league programs. Facilities and Park Developments The Faciliries and Park Developments page lists current and future facility and parks projects. The page lists a description of the project, concept design unages (if available), estimated project completion date, estimated project cost, annual General Fund operating unpact upon completion, and other pertinent project information. For the Emerald Glen Recreation and Aquatic Complex project, better known as "The Wave," the website features a time lapse webcam video of the project at www.dublin.ca.gov/thewave so that the progress of the project can be viewed on demand. The camera angles capture both the northwest and southeast views of the project. View Calendar The Calendar provides a day-by-day list of events, meetings, and activities for all City departments, including details on the time, locarion, contact infortnation, and additional information as needed. T'here is also the option to view a map of the location and email function details to others. 2 of 3 Report an Issue The communiry is among the Ciry's best resources in notifying Staff of any issues or concerns in our parks, streets, faciliries, and community in general. To this end, there is a tool citizens can use to let Staff know of an issue of concern by utilizing the "Report an Issue" feature. After creating an account, a resident can submit a concern for any department in the City. Once submitted, requests can be amended. Staff remains diligent about reviewing and responding to requests in a timely fashion. Stay Informed T'he website features a "Notify Me" component that allows residents to sign-up to be notified of the latest infortnation regarding a variety of subjects, including Bikeways, Press Releases, Neighborhood Watch, Park Planning, Bid Postings, Events, News Flashes, Meeting Notifications, and Emergency Alerts. Notifications are sent via email or text messaging,and can be adjusted as desired,with an option to unsubscribe at any time. The City also offers a free mobile app, "MyDublinCA," that is available on iTunes and GooglePlay. The mobile app features News Flashes, Calendar, FAQs, Parks and Faciliries, Report an Issue, Employment Opportunities, Restaurant and Dining Guide,Twitter,Alert Center,Activity Guide, Special Events, City Staff Directory, City Council informarion,Bikes and Trails Map,and a"Notify Me"tool. Dublin's Emergency Alert System The City of Dublin has an Emergency Alert System designed to notify residents in the event of an emergency taking place in the City of Dublin, or in nearby communiries. Cirizens can sign up to receive a news flash alert in case of an emergency. In addition, when there is an emergency situauon, an Emergency Alert icon will be shown throughout the website. There are two icons: A red light indicating an emergency condition or road closure e�cists in the City,and a green light indicating that the state of emergency has passed. Disaster Preparedness The City's Disaster Preparedness webpage provides information on how to be prepared in the event of a disaster. The City also has an Emergency Volunteer Center where citizens can sign-up in advance and be preapproved to volunteer as a Disaster Service Worker in the event of a local disaster. In addition to all of these features,the website also incorporates social media tools such as Facebook,Twitter, and YouTube; and works with Google Translate to automatically translate the website contents into a different language. Staff regularly monitors the website to add more inforxnation and keep the website up-to-date. It is anticipated the "new and improved" website will encourage residents and visitoxs to learn more about the community and stay informed and engaged. NOTICING REQUIREMENTS/PUBLIC OUTREACH: None. ATTACHMENTS: None. 3 of 3