FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2020
The City of Charlottesville will launch an improved website for the community on Monday, April 27 that will feature a new .gov internet domain (www.charlottesville.gov).
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The City of Charlottesville will launch an improved website for the community on Monday, April 27 that will feature a new .gov internet domain (www.charlottesville.gov).
The new website was designed with a focus on Charlottesville residents and customers with greatly improved navigation and search functionality. The website is visually attractive with a modern design, mobile friendly, and even more accessible for those with hearing and sight disabilities.
The transition to .gov aligns the City with many other government entities moving to this domain while offering many more security benefits.
In September 2019, CivicPlus was hired to lead a team of about 40 city staff persons to assist with the design and implementation of the website.
The new website features:
- Citizen-focused functionality
- Mobile-friendly design
- Predictive search engine
- Standardized departmental home pages with clear contact information
- ADA compliant
- Simplified content
- Cleaner, more attractive layout
The new design will also feature Notify Me – a subscription-based messaging service for residents so they can receive timely notifications such as city alerts, press releases, events, meeting notifications and electronic newsletters delivered via email and text message.
The cost to design and migrate the City’s website totaled about $85,653 which included the primary contracts with CivicPlus ($77,653 total), implementation of AudioEye ADA accessibility features ($5,000), and photography ($3,000). Annual maintenance and hosting after the first year will be about $14,000 with CivicPlus and AudioEye.
The City’s current website has 1.1 million users annually and averages 290,000 page views a month with the majority of traffic heading to Parks and Recreation, Utilities, and Transit. About 30 percent of users view the website on mobile devices or tablets, a number we expect to grow dramatically with the new design.
The City of Charlottesville is committed to making its old website available for archival purposes. The City will load all available meeting video and records (agendas and minutes) into the new Civic Clerk portal, an agenda management portal purchased separately.
Media Contact
Brian Wheeler
Director of Communications
City of Charlottesville
434-970-3129
wheelerb@charlottesville.gov
