MITCHELL, S.D. - Two of Mitchell's city websites are getting a makeover.
The city of Mitchell intends to launch a pair of new websites Friday, one for the city itself and a separate site for the Corn Palace.
The sites were created through CivicPlus, a company that exclusively creates government web pages. City Administrator Stephanie Ellwein said the city spent $29,193 to purchase both the new sites and a mobile application. The city had budgeted $35,550 for the sites and app.
The new sites include an array of new features, including a program called "Notify Me," which allows Mitchell residents to subscribe for email and text alerts for public meeting agendas, street closures, government job openings and project bid postings.
The new-look sites will also include a "Request Tracker," which allows those who have concerns with a public nuisance, parking or public safety within the city of Mitchell. Those who download the city's new mobile app will also have an added advantage of photographing and uploading their concerns.
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"And if you're out and about and you have the city's app - because there is an app that will go along with this - and you see something that you don't like, you can actually take a picture and upload it right through the app," Ellwein said.
Once the new sites are released, the city will host learning sessions to help people navigate the new sites. Ellwein expects the learning sessions to be held next week. Until then, about 25 people have been beta testing the sites.
Those learning sessions will help guide citizens through each sites that include features like descriptions of all of the city's parks and recreation facilities, access to various permit application forms and various other items and links. Next year, the city plans to add online payment software to allow Mitchell residents to make payments to the city via the web.
Ellwein, who moved to Mitchell in 2014, also said the new websites will allow those who are moving to Mitchell a better opportunity to learn about the city and what it has to offer at any day or time rather than being forced to call the city offices during regular business hours. But the new features are also expected to make navigating the municipal websites easier for Mitchell residents.
"The whole premise behind CivicPlus websites is that it's supposed to be easier to have civic engagement because we're no longer telling you what you need, we're putting the information out there on the website in multiple different avenues, so that you can get what you want out of city government on your hours, on your terms," Ellwein said.
