Farmington OKs Massive, High-Tech Overhaul Of Town Website, Info Services

FARMINGTON, CT — Farmington residents will eventually have a new town website, an online 311 service request system, an artificial intelligence chatbot, and expanded digital notification tools under a technology overhaul approved by the Farmington Town Council.

The council voted unanimously July 28 to accept the recommendations of its Ad Hoc Technology Committee and authorize Farmington Town Manager Kathy Blonski to sign a $61,690.98 agreement with CivicPlus for website design and enhanced technology services.

The project is within the town's approved $75,000 capital budget.

Annual operating costs are projected at $48,902.68 beginning in the second year.

The decision followed a presentation from Farmington Assistant Town Manager Kat Krajewski, council members Bruce Polsky and Keith Vibert, and Farmington Information Technology Manager Brian Rush.

The committee met 10 times and evaluated multiple technologies and vendors before unanimously recommending CivicPlus as Farmington's website and resident engagement platform.

As part of the transition, Farmington's municipal website will move to FarmingtonCT.gov. The town will retain its existing .org email addresses for employees for the time being.

Farmington will also continue using Everbridge for emergency notifications rather than replacing it as part of the technology overhaul.

Website Overhaul Goes Beyond New Look

Town officials described the CivicPlus proposal as more than a redesign of Farmington's website.

The package includes a new website and content management system, predictive search, online forms, customizable resident notifications, language translation, a resident portal, accessibility tools and an AI-powered chatbot.

Alex Monroe, an account executive with CivicPlus, and Michael Nicholson, an enterprise account executive with the company, demonstrated the proposed system for council members.

One of the most significant additions will be CivicPlus' ClickFix 311 system, which is designed to give residents another way to report problems and request town services.

Residents will be able to submit requests online or through a mobile app, attach photographs, track the status of requests and receive updates.

Town employees, meanwhile, will be able to manage requests through the system and identify duplicate submissions.

Officials said the technology should improve both staff workflows and transparency for residents trying to determine what happened with a request.

AI Chatbot, Accessibility Tools Planned

The new website will also include an AI chatbot that allows residents to ask questions using natural language.

According to the presentation, the chatbot will generate answers based solely on information contained on Farmington's website and other connected town resources.

It will support languages other than English and can help users submit service requests.

Accessibility was another major component of the committee's recommendation.

The CivicPlus package includes AudioEye and Doc Access tools intended to help the town comply with federal accessibility requirements.

Those services include continuous website monitoring, conversion of documents into accessible formats, language translation and tools for people with visual and other disabilities.

Committee members said their recommendation sought to balance additional features with cost while giving Farmington the flexibility to expand its digital services in the future.

Launch Could Take Six Months

Implementation is projected to take between 16 and 28 weeks and will include migrating existing content to the new website, staff training, testing and deployment of the ClickFix 311 system.

CivicPlus representatives told the council the company would provide support with content migration, accessibility remediation, training and consulting.

They estimated the overall process would take about six months and require relatively little town staff time.

Council members did not register any opposition to the proposal.

Councilwoman Patricia Boye-Williams made the motion to accept the committee's recommendation and authorize the agreement, with Councilman Dave Wlodkowski seconding it.

The motion passed unanimously.

For the minutes of the July 28 Farmington Town Council meeting, click on this link.