Village Updates Website

The Village of Downers Grove has debuted a redesigned website that features several improvements, including a streaming video and easy-to-access resident information.

The redesign went live Friday, Sept. 17, although the transition is still in process, said Doug Kozlowski, communications director.

"It takes a significant amount of time to transfer the huge amount of data to the new website," he said. "When you're using same URL, it takes time for internet to index new things."

Until that process is completed, some users may still encounter the old site when logging on to www.downers.us.

The improvements, which have all been done in-house, have been in development over the last year, Kozlowski said. "The impetus for the change was the village's mandate to always communication in new and efficient ways."

The new design is easier for users to navigate and also for staff members to update, he said. Among the improvements are a  "fast lane" feature that will take residents to village services, including online bill payment, GIS mapping, construction updates and the municipal code.

"Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds have been enhanced to include a title and description as well as links to top stories, council meeting agendas, council meeting minutes and meeting podcasts," according to the website.

Users of mobile devices should also experience better funtionality with the new design.