Orange County NC Website
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web site. There is a need to be sure that we pay close attention to the Intranet and strengthen that for <br />the workforce itself. This is important for the functioning of the departments themselves. In terms of <br />the review of the printed materials and the website, the materials really cover the County's services. <br />There does not appear to be any continuity in design, typeface, size, level of education of the <br />materials. They are not well coordinated but put together by different groups or departments. He saw <br />inconsistent use of Spanish translation in terms of the materials. With reference to the website it has <br />substantial functionality -you can do a lot with it, there are some goad applications. However, the <br />navigation through the site is very textual and there is a lot of variation from department to <br />department. There are issues with the usability of the design. His interviews with other local <br />governments told him that there is no "one way" to organize the Strategic Communications function. <br />The scope, organization and funding of the communication function reflect the collective will of the <br />governing board -its operation is a responsibility of the Manager. All of the units make use of the <br />Internet to communicate to their citizens. They are also beginning to provide critical services via the <br />web which also supports the work of the County. These services require electronic access to County <br />information which provides for the delivery of services which is more than just providing a Webmaster <br />to maintain the site. It is important to provide information and make the site functional. Finally, many <br />units have a practice of insuring that employees who have interaction with the media are trained. <br />Kevin Fitzgerald quickly went through the recommendations. The recommendations are listed <br />below: <br />• Consolidate the public information function under the direct supervision of the County <br />Manager <br />• Establish a new position, Public Information Officer (PIO), to provide leadership and <br />management oversight of Public Information function <br />• Designate the incumbent Communications Specialist as Orange County Webmaster with <br />reporting relationship to the PIO. Add staffing capacity in the Commissioners office. <br />:• Remove part-time responsibilities from the Management Analyst position and assign that <br />position full-time to other existing functions. <br />Chair Halkiotis asked for clarification of the webmaster's position on where the person would <br />be housed. Kevin Fitzgerald said that the Webmaster function needs to be supervised by the PIO. <br />The technical support needs to be the responsibility of the IS department. <br />• Require that each department, from current staffing levels, identify a Public Information <br />liaison. These staff will have responsibility of assuring that information contained in printed <br />materials and website is current. <br />• As part of the annual County Budget process, the PIO, with assistance from each County <br />Department shall develop an annual comprehensive communication plan. <br />•:• Assign responsibility for web site operation and maintenance to Management I nformation <br />Services Department. Assign responsibility for developing and maintaining web site to the <br />PIO. <br />:• Investigate the feasibility of televising Board of County Commissioners meetings and work <br />sessions live. <br />• Establish a small group of Department Heads to review official printed materials and <br />decide upon a stationary design that supports identification of Orange County as well as <br />individual Department identity. <br />