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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,August 20,2012 <br /> Page 4 <br /> noted that earlier discussions among the City Council and staff related to the Per- <br /> formance Management Program had intended to use this information throughout the <br /> budget cycle. City Manager Malinen briefly referenced recent State Auditor rulings <br /> on surveys and potential imposition of levy limits; noting that this could become a <br /> significant issue in future City Council decision-making. <br /> Acting Mayor Willmus, in his discussions with Mayor Roe prior to tonight's meet- <br /> ing, reiterated that Mayor Roe had asked that formal action be held until a future <br /> meeting to allow the full body to participate. Acting Mayor Willmus noted that, if <br /> the question was called at tonight's meeting, it had little chance of succeeding. <br /> b. Proposal to Redesign the City's Website <br /> Communications Specialist Tim Pratt highlighted the proposed redesign of the <br /> City's website to make it more user-friendly and enhance electronic communica- <br /> tions with citizens, as detailed in the Request for Council Action (RCA) and At- <br /> tachment A, dated August 20, 2012. <br /> Mr. Pratt noted that, during staff's review of various website design providers, and <br /> software providing a single entry and only one set of software. After staff's exten- <br /> sive review, Mr. Pratt advised that staff had become aware that the information they <br /> had generated in their review had provided the overall criteria generally provided in <br /> an RFP, but had been completed in-house. Mr. Pratt noted that website design for <br /> government was a specialized field, and in Ramsey County only two (2) companies <br /> provided services to government, as detailed in the RCA. <br /> Mr. Pratt advised that staff was recommending the firm of Vision Internet for rede- <br /> sign and hosting of the City's website, with their proposal having been reduced <br /> from $30,000 in 2011 to $24,000 at this time, and allowing for redesign before <br /> year-end. Mr. Pratt advised that, if completed in December of 2012, it would then <br /> allow for the City to save another $7,500 in annual hosting fees with the current <br /> provider. Mr. Pratt noted that this was a tight timetable to redesign a website, but if <br /> the City Council took formal action tonight, the firm assured staff that it could be <br /> done. <br /> Councilmember McGehee advised that there were many things in each depart- <br /> ment's strategic plans that she wanted to discuss and their specifics for the website <br /> (e.g. online permits, fee payments) before making a decision on this website design <br /> to assure that it was compatible with each department. Regarding the limited num- <br /> ber of website designers for government in Ramsey County, Councilmember <br /> McGehee opined that there were other counties in the metropolitan area other than <br /> Ramsey County. Councilmember McGehee noted there were other issues to con- <br /> sider for the website, including access, mobile applications and how to format to <br /> smaller screens; and without knowing the needs of other departments, she was una- <br /> ble to make an informed decision at this time. <br />