Chester County’s website received 4.4 million page views this past year, and although 90 percent of them occurred on laptops, the number of people accessing the site through tablets and smart phones continues to grow exponentially.
The latter trend is what prompted the website’s redesign, according to Rebecca Brain, the county’s communications coordinator. Brain explained during the county commissioners’ meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12, that the new website’s launch, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, aimed to address the statistic that one in five Americans relies entirely on phones for Internet access.
The redesign is search-led and mobile-friendly, Brain explained. An easy-to-read search bar in the middle of the phone display will facilitate getting information, ranging from jury service to absentee ballots to online tax payments. Such data existed previously but was more challenging to navigate on a cellphone or tablet, Brain said.
In March 2014, the county launched a mobile app, ChescoCONNECT, to serve the ever-growing population of mobile users. Brain said the app won’t change; however, it will be linking to more mobile-friendly pages on the new website.
“A first-class county deserves a first-class website for sure,” Chester County Commissioners’ Chairman Terence Farrell said following the presentation.
Commissioner Kathi Cozzone expressed thanks to the employees who worked on the project. “I know it was a herculean effort with a lot of folks involved,” she said. And Commissioner Michelle Kichline noted that the future is moving toward more hand-held devices. “This is really a step in the right direction,” she added.
In other business, the commissioners approved 26 contracts and several grants that had been reviewed at the Sunshine Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10. They also voted to approve a bid of $26,220 from X-Ray Imaging, Inc., for an X-ray machine at the Government Services Center on Westtown Road.
Chester County Chief Operating Officer Mark Rupsis announced that the county’s 2016 budget, a $525.9 million spending plan with no tax hike, would be discussed at the next Sunshine Meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 1, in preparation for a vote on Thursday, Dec. 3.
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