Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
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On March 3, Davidson County government will be unveiling its new Web site, which will include an array of new features, as well as new areas of content. Some new areas on the site will be new property tax pages, access to PDF files, a program and services directory and a membership area for the public to receive online services.
Stressing the importance of the Web site, County Webmaster Tony Lail briefed the Davidson County Commissioners on the process Tuesday night.
“The Davidson County Web site is the face of the county,” Lail said. “It is the only publication that is produced by the county and represents every department.”
From 1996 to 2002, Lail said, Davidson County’s Web site was disjointed and difficult to maintain. Each county department had its own Web site, which all had a different design theme. In addition, some county departments were not represented at all.
Giving departments the ability to maintain its own pages, in the summer of 2003, a new Web site was created and deployed by the County’s Information Technology Department.
Modeled after a “portal” and “search” Web site, the new site will no longer be structured by departments, but instead organized by topic. A portal site offers a variety of links to a mixture of topics making it easier to find information very quickly, while a search engine Web site gives a brief description of what is on the page and displays search results across several pages.
According to a 2006 Web site survey conducted by Davidson County, 46 percent of those polled said they have difficult time finding information on the site. Eight-five percent said they have used the search area to search for information. Forty-three percent said once they used the search area, they did find information they were looking for.
Many residents have told county officials they would like to have deed images online and correct mailing addresses should be listed for each department represented on the Web site. Residents also asked for jail inmate listings, most wanted information and crime statistics.
In other business:
• Commissioners approved their 2009-15 Transportation Project Priority List. Among projects in the list are replacing the Interstate 85 bridge over the Yadkin River and the widening of N.C. 109 from Winston-Salem to Thomasville.
• After receiving the request from County Recycling Coordinator Sam Swaim, commissioners approved the application for a grant to purchase a robotic education tool to help teach children about recycling.
• Chairman Larry Potts recognized County Library Cataloguer Ron Ritter, county library cataloguer who is retiring after nearly 37 years of service the library system.
Staff Writer Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 231, or ignasiak@tvilletimes.com.