Orange County NC Website
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24 <br />PRIORITY LEVEL ONE <br />Website Improvements and Content Management: <br />The Website is the hallmark of the County, in terms of its public facing presence. There is substantial <br />dissatisfaction with the Orange County website according to the County Commissioners and <br />departmental staff. The site is deemed dated and static. While the County improved the website <br />within the past three years, making it more functional and user - friendly, continued refreshment and <br />redesign is strongly encouraged and desired. <br />First, a comprehensive evaluation, including a usability study and detailed feedback analysis, should <br />occur to determine the areas of concern related to the website. The County should examine its <br />website and compare the site to those of similar government units across the country, in order to <br />determine what upgrades and changes may be valuable to the citizens and provide Orange County <br />with a more attractive, user - friendly Web presence. The County should also consider establishing a <br />Website Council composed of employees and potentially citizens in order to gather regular feedback <br />and suggestions related to the site. The County Website should not be revised until the new Public <br />Information Officer position is brought on- board, as the Web presence will be of critical importance to <br />the new position, as a means of communicating with citizens. <br />In addition, the departments are unsatisfied with the current content update and page creation <br />process. It is recommended that the County assess its current website and business processes should <br />be examined to determine how the website update process can be made more efficient, including <br />investment in a more user - friendly Content Management System. Additionally, the County <br />departments should be required to commit staff to maintaining and updating the County web pages <br />specific to each department, as it is not the role of the IT department to perform such content <br />generation. Finally, pages targeted to specific events within the County which generate significant <br />citizen, business, and visitor engagement opportunities should be featured and streamlined for easier <br />access. <br />Planning, Zoning, Inspections Software: <br />There is a significant need to invest in a comprehensive planning, zoning, and inspections software <br />solution with GIS integration. Currently, the department is using an outdated system that does not <br />share data with other departments and is reliant on custom programming that is not sustainable. A <br />22 <br />