Smart Phones Could Tap into Proposed Roseville City Website Redesign

A proposed $24,750 redesign to the city of Roseville’s website would bring a mobile version compatible with smartphones and allow city staff to include more photos and graphics on the site’s pages and in email newsletters.

Tim Pratt, city communications specialist, presented that proposal from the web developer Vision Internet at the Roseville Council’s Monday meeting.

Roseville has been using the design firm CivicPlus since that business won a bidding process in 2007.

“While CivicPlus brought our website out of the stone ages, it is incapable of providing additional services and features that will meet the two objectives: improve citizen usability and enhance engagement,” Pratt wrote in a document submitted to the council.

Pratt said that Vision Internet’s 2007 proposal would have cost the city more than $35,000, but that since then they’ve “sharpened their pencils,” making their services more appealing.

“Vision Internet’s design staff creates much more appealing looking websites (e.g. City of Plymouth, City of Eden Prairie),” he wrote. “Their content management system is easier to use and automatically formats material to fit the content frame.”

Pratt said that if the city jumped on the proposal soon, it could avoid paying CivicPlus fees in 2013. But some council members expressed concerns about making sure the redesign has features desirable to the city’s staff and residents.

Council member Bob Willmus said he wanted to bring department heads into the decision making process.

“I’m not so concerned about the timeframe of getting this up in the next few months,” he said.

And council member Tammy McGehee said she thought the city’s strategic plan might necessitate the need for website features such as paying fees and fines.

Council member Jeff Johnson said he was pleased with the city websites that Vision Internet has designed.

“I’ve been to the Eden Prairie site and it’s very easy to use, very intuitive,” he said.