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Home My WebLink About2D, Draft Website Policy i EN HILLS Request for Council Action 2D Prepared By: Jill Hutmacher, Community Work Session Date: October 15, 2012 Development Director Draft Website Policy Budgeted Amount: Actual Amount: Funding Source: N/A N/A N/A Discussion Topic: Staff asks City Council to provide feedback on the draft website policy. Supporting Documents: 1. Memorandum dated October 15, 2012, from Jill Hutmacher,Community Development Director. 2. Draft Website Policy. 'It �-ARZEN .�HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: October 15, 2012 TO: Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers Patrick Klaers, City Administrator FROM: Jill Hutmacher, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Draft Website Policy Background On October 10, 2011, the City Council appointed a website ad hoc committee to work on a new City website. On February 27, 2012, the City Council approved a contract with CivicPlus for the design, hosting, and support for a new City website. The new website is scheduled to "go live" on December 7, 2012. Website Policy The City currently has no website policy to guide what information is placed on the website. The website ad hoc committee recommends that the City adopt a website policy to provide guidance on the following: • Organizations to which the City will and will not allow external links; • Promotion of community events, services, and fundraisers; • Types of news and announcements that can be displayed on the home page; • The duration that information and documents are displayed on the website; • Procedures for updating and editing the website; and • Site standards for formatting, punctuation, graphics, etc. The website policy is designed to maintain a site that is professional and easy-to-use. Website Proiect Schedule Staff training is scheduled for the last week in October. Training will include how to edit and create web pages, build links, download graphics, track website usage, and manage features such City of Arden Hills City Council Work Session October 15, 2012 Page 1 of 2 as Notify Me and the various modules offered by CivicPlus. In the future, each department will be responsible for updating and maintaining its own pages. At least two people from each department will be trained so that adequate coverage is maintained in the event of staff absences or turnover. New staff can receive on-line training through CivicPlus. The website is scheduled to "go live" at 5:00 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012. Next Steps The City Council is asked to provide feedback on the draft website policy. Changes will be incorporated, and the policy will be presented for Council consideration in November. Attachments A. Draft Website Policy City of Arden Hills City Council Work Session October 15, 2012 Page 2 of 2 Attachment Draft Website Policy October 15, 2012, City Council Work Session 'It ,fiRZEN HILLS Website Policy Draft October 15, 2012 The purpose of the City of Arden Hills website is to provide the public with convenient, efficient access to current, accurate information about Arden Hills departments, services, amenities, and general information. News and information that is consistent with the above-stated purpose and with this policy will be posted on the website. The City Administrator, or his or her designee, shall oversee all aspects of the City website. External Links The City's website may provide links to external organizations that meet the criteria identified in this website policy. The City is not responsible for and does not endorse the information on any linked website unless the City's website explicitly states otherwise. The City may allow links to the following organizations and entities: • Governmental and quasi-governmental entities • Entities with which the City has an existing formal, contractual relationship • Entities which provide quasi-public services or utilities to City residents and businesses • Non-profits providing services to City residents or businesses • Educational institutions or school districts located within the City of Arden Hills The City will not allow links to websites of the following organizations or entities: • Campaigns for candidates for local, state, or federal offices • Political organizations or other organizations advocating a position on a local, state, or federal issue • For-profit organizations other than as allowed above • Individual or personal websites Promotion of Community Events, Services, & Fundraisers The City may allow promotional announcements of events officially sponsored by the City of Arden Hills. Services to Arden Hills residents and/or businesses provided by non-profits or charitable entities may be promoted on the website provided that any associated fees are directly related to the service provided. The City will not post information related to fundraisers. City of Arden Hills 1245 West Highway 96 •Arden Hills Minnesota 55112 Phone 651.634.5120•Fax 651.634.5137 www.ci.arden-hills.mn.us -AR�EN HILLS News and Announcements News and announcements displayed on the City's home page should: • Be of an urgent or emergency nature • Be applicable to a majority of residents and/or businesses • Be posted for no more than 30 consecutive days Other news and announcements may be posted on department, division, and other pages internal to the website. It is preferable that documents and information generated by other entities should be provided through a link to the appropriate entity's website, unless the document is part of an application that is submitted to the City for official review. Website Accuracy and Relevancy The purpose of the City of Arden Hills website is to provide current, timely, accurate information to residents and businesses. The website is not designed to be used as a document repository or historical archive. The website will primarily focus on providing current information in order to: • Increase the likelihood that information is accurate; • Provide the information that is most likely to be of current interest to users; and • Maximize the ease of finding information. Posting of Current Information The following are examples of information that will be posted as soon as is practical: • City Council, Committee, and Commission agendas and minutes • City Council Agenda Packets • Planning Commission Agenda Packets • Newsletters • Park and Recreation Program Guides • Financial and Budget Reports • Development Applications • Road Construction Information • City Fee Schedule Posting of Archived Information The following are examples of information that will be posted on Laserfiche, the City's electronic data archive, and be made available to users through a portal on the City's website. Archived information will be available as specified in the City's data retention policy. • City Council, Committee, and Commission agendas and minutes • City Council Agenda Packets Page 2 of 4 ,AR�EN HILLS • Planning Commission Agenda Packets • Newsletters Removal of Information • Departments shall review their website information on a quarterly basis. Outdated and inaccurate information will be edited or removed. • Except for archived information as described above, documents and information older than one year will be removed from the website unless they are directly related and relevant to an on-going project. • Outdated documents removed from the website will be saved in City electronic archives and be made available upon request and in accordance with the City's data privacy and data retention policies. Site Standards Formatting Dates August 15, 2007 Times 1:00 pm Phone/Fax Numbers 651-792-7819 Punctuation & Capitalization • Underlining should be used only for hyperlinks. • ALL CAPS should be avoided except in acronyms. • Use commas at the end of a series, for example, "trees,shrubs, and annual plantings." • Capitalize city, state, and county when referring to a specific entity. Use lower case when not. Example: The City is considering an emerald ash borer policy. Many cities across the metro area are drafting similar policies. Numbers&Symbols • In text, numbers one through ten should be spelled out. All numbers used in combination with a symbol should be expressed numerically. Example: $1, 1%, 1.5, 1 %. • Use the "%" symbol instead of writing out "percent". • Use the "&" sign instead of the word "and" in headings and subheadings. Abbreviations • Names of months and days of the week should not be abbreviated in text. • Street names should be abbreviated unless used in a paragraph. Example: Snelling Ave. Documents, Photos, Graphics, & Links • Documents posted on the website must be in a .pdf or .tif format. • Photos and graphics must be in .jpg or .gif format. The resolution on all graphics should be 72 dpi or web-quality. Page 3 of 4 -ARQEN HILLS • No addresses should be visible in photos unless the address is City-owned property, for example City Hall or a City park. • Photo release forms will be obtained for all recognizable photos of people. The department posting a photo is responsible for verifying that a photo release form is available. • Clipart is not allowed unless approved by the website administrator. • Animated text or graphics are not allowed. • Hyperlinks and documents must be set to open in a new window unless the hyperlink is to another page on the City website. • Phrases "click here", "coming soon", or "under construction" should not be used. Page 4 of 4