The City of Hollister’s Web site will soon enter the 21st
century, as one city official put it, as completion of an extensive
revamp nears.
When the redesign is completed, residents will be able to read
job postings and pay city bills online and interact electronically
with city officials in real time.
The City of Hollister’s Web site will soon enter the 21st century, as one city official put it, as completion of an extensive revamp nears.
When the redesign is completed, residents will be able to read job postings and pay city bills online and interact electronically with city officials in real time.
The upgrade project – contracted to e21 Corp. in January for $24,500 – will also include a sleeker design and more convenient accessibility of pages – 30 of which will be translated in Spanish.
The launch date for the new site was initially scheduled for June 7, but officials said it would likely begin about one week later. The site’s address is www.hollister.ca.gov.
The City Council met during a study session Monday to recommend changes to the current design, which was designed by e21 Corp. through the guidance of a 10-member Web site committee made up of city officials. Steve Pan from e21 was present to answer questions from Council members.
“We plan to build on this (new) Web site to make it a lot more interactive and friendly for the public,” Councilman Tony LoBue said.
The gradual adaptation will eventually include a feature that allows residents to pay city bills online with a credit card, according to officials.
However, Finance Director Barbara Mulholland said, “We’re just not there yet.”
The city transformed the Internet site because officials said the current version is considerably antiquated and not user-friendly. In January, former Council member Peggy Corrales was listed as the current mayor, though she completed her term with that title in December 2001.
“Our old site is just an out-dated Web site,” LoBue said.
After the launch of the new site, Redevelopment Agency Director Billy Avera said, “You’re not going to have to click more than, hopefully, three times to get anywhere.”
The changes were based on feedback from the Web site committee, which requested a “more open space feeling” and a “cleaner look.”
Under the design presented Monday, the main links on the left side of the home page will include City Government, About Hollister, Community, Public Schools, Business Services and a contact page. Also, an index of city departments will be available on each page throughout the site so users are not obliged to return to the home page to access a specific department, Pan said.
All departments will maintain a consistency in design and will be connected to the Hollister site – as opposed to some departments having independent addresses, which is currently the case with the recreation division and police department.
City officials have not selected all of the 30 Spanish pages yet, but said the translated pages would include those that are “primary” and pages most relevant to the Spanish-speaking community.
LoBue said the city’s close geographical proximity to San Jose and its technology-based industry were pressing reasons Hollister needed a new design.
“With our high-tech industry we have directly to the north of us,” he said, “to attract good businesses that are interactive in the Web industry, it’ll definitely be a plus.”
Maintenance for one year – including format changes – is included in the contract with e21.
“I think this is a good start to getting Hollister into the 21st century,” LoBue said. “It’s just the beginning.”
