New Cedar Grove Township Website Launched

Cedar Grove has launched a revamped municipal website that will take a giant leap forward in the township's ongoing mission to deliver more services to residents in a more efficient way.

The old municipal website contained essential information for residents: bulky waste or leaves pick-up dates, where to get flu shots and links to other municipal entities, but in today's plugged-in, on-demand world, it wasn't quite enough.

Township Manager Thomas Tucci said that the timing for the upgrade came down to three simple things: "Technology, technology, technology".

"The better our technology is, I believe, the less manpower we need. The new site will make life simpler for the public and for township employees and lead to time saved, which leads to money saved," he said.

The new site will build upon the information available on the current website, adding considerably to the depth and scope of available materials.

For example, council meetings shown on Cedar Grove Public Access will be archived and available to view on the new website, enabling residents to view meetings on their schedule, and from the comfort of their home.

A new notification system will enable residents to connect with the township like never before, and get plugged into emergency alerts and announcements from Cedar Grove, whether you're on your computer at home or on vacation with your cell phone. Residents are encouraged to register their email addresses, but especially their cell phone numbers to receive alerts in the event of widespread power outages like during the October snowstorm.

"[The new site] will result in better communication, and better informed residents. We will be able to service the community better. We get your information, you get ours, we connect," Tucci said.

The total cost to launch the new website was $15,000, Tucci said, which includes $9,000 for the municipal site, and $6,000 for a newly re-vamped site for the Cedar Grove Public Library. However, he pointed to a number of ways the new site will save the township money in the short- and long-term.

Department heads will be trained on the new system, and will be able to update their respective sites with announcements and bulletins, saving on postage costs. Requests for the municipal clerk that previously required an in-person visit can now be accomplished via self-service on the new site. Bids for municipal projects will be made available online to pre-registered companies or vendors, who can respond to a bid instantaneously, which will save the township money and time on back-and-forth interactions by mail.

The township's seasonal newsletter has, for the first time, switched to an all-digital format, which Tucci says saved the township $2,500 on printing and postage costs to distribute the newsletter before the site has even launched, and will continue to do so.

"It's been a long time coming for this upgrade. The council is enthusiastic about it. It's really the best thing to do..transparency is king," Tucci said.

The new site can be accessed at the same web address, www.cedargrovenj.org.