Peggy Corrales is the mayor of Hollister
– according to the City of Hollister’s Web site.
Peggy Corrales is the mayor of Hollister – according to the City of Hollister’s Web site.
Corrales, who lost her bid for reelection to the City Council in November, remains listed on the Internet as mayor, a position she hasn’t held since December 2001. The misinformation is an example of the outdated nature of the official city Web site – www.hollister.ca.gov – and also illustrates the need for an update.
On Tuesday, the city started that process by contracting with e21 Corp. for a new design.
The project – which will include easier communication, a bilingual element and an economic development page – is scheduled for completion within 120 days and will cost taxpayers $24,500.
“As a city of our size, we’re a little bit behind in the tech age,” said Bill Avera, Hollister’s Redevelopment Director.
More-modern features will allow residents to communicate with city agencies in real time and even pay their bills online, Avera said.
He said the new site will eventually allow residents easy access to city staff and officials. He would also like to see it allow residents the capability to e-mail questions or comments directly to city staff.
“You could send an e-mail saying there’s a pothole outside your house, and somebody from the city could take care of it,” Avera said.
Such a feature would increase the city’s accountability with maintenance issues, he said.
The city also asked e21 to incorporate 30 pages of the site’s most crucial information in Spanish.
“Considering our Hispanic population, which is about 50 percent, I think it’s extremely important,” Avera said.
Other improvements will include uniformity among the different city agencies, such as the recreation division and police department.
“The templates will all be consistent,” Avera said.
E21 has previously updated several municipal Web sites, including for Morgan Hill, Oakley and most recently for Pleasanton, Avera said. To see Pleasanton’s updated site, go to www.ci.pleasanton.ca.us/pleasanton.html.
