1. Email & Website InformationInteroffice
MEMORANDUM
August 19, 1999
To: The Honorable Mayor, City Council and City Manager
From: Theresa
Re: E-Mail and Web Site
Attached is a copy of Ben Smyth's letter written June 14th concerning Web Sites. I have also
attached some notes concerning a web site for Kalispell and several items that were discussed at the
IIMC Conference in May. Ben will be attending the workshop the evening of the 23rd and would be
happy to answer any questions you may have.
Post Office Box 1997 • Kalispell, Montana 59903-1997
Telephone (406) 758-7700 • FAX (406) 758-7758
Silvertip Technology Inc.
Silvertip Technology Inc.
Box 2068
Whfteflsh, MT 59937
4064MZ-9863
Fax: 4064363-9865
June 14, 1999
Amy Roberts
Box 1997
Kalispell, MT 59903
Dear Amy,
The options available for the City of Kalispell for a web site vary_ As time moves on we can
count on the site growing both in number of users accessing it and the. content and usefulness of
the site_ While presently asking for a few pieces, the site should initially include basic information
about each department.
Current functionality desired:
Initial site could have the following pages.
Main welcome page with links to
Mayor Page
Council Members Pages
City Council Agenda Items
City Council Meeting Minutes
Chamber of Commerce and similar site(s)
Parks & Recreation Schedule
Animal Control Page
Public Works Notices
Law Enforcement Page
Library Page
Municipal Court Page
Water Billing Page
Employment Opportunities
Online posting and archiving of Council agenda items.
Online posting and archiving of Council Minutes every other week.
Online posting of Parks & Rec Events.
The initial functionality desired by the City of Kalispell is more than just a few web pages being
posted to the net_ Maintaining and being able to have any connected and authorized user maintain
agenda items, minutes or events on a daily or periodic basis essentially requires setting up and
maintaining. a database_ One could argue that new pages could simply be put up when. necessary,
Silvertip Technology Inc.
SiNwfip Technology Inc.
Box 2068
Whitefish, MT 59937
406-863-9863
Fax: 406-863-9865
but this process will be cumbersome, time consuming, inefficient and require serious training for
any individual responsible for keeping the web site current.
Future Possibilities:
I could rave about the future of citizens paying their utility bill and automatically
interfacing with your software and bank account. Letting senior citizens sign up for the next
parks program and then mformingr the proper Parks personnel is some of the advanced features
that given time will make their way to your web site. Realistically, these applications are still
years away.
E-mail:
Any e-mail address that is offered on the site, should be one that is maintained by a
knowledgeable staff member who can daily answer the questions posted by the web browsing
public. Content of the site can be altered to reduce the number of questions received. Frequently
asked Questions (FAQ) can then be formulated and posted to another page. Who in the City
needs their own email address to conduct city business? The number of e-mail accounts and the
connectivity to the net for these is a question that needs further evaluation. These questions need
to be addressed, by the city management.
Hosting:
Determination of the "hosting' of the cities web site. is another decision that needs to be
made. Two options are available.
One would be to have the system in-house_ If choosing this option I recommend putting the in-
house system as a "black box" e-mail, file and web server and fire wall. The advantage to this
option would be a full time inter -net connection and complete e-mail for all connected tt thQ
network. The firewall should provide the security to separate the internal "intranet" from the
"internet'_ This option would require a separate server with the appropriate soffit Ware and t; he
expertise to maintain it. The city would also need to maintain a constant connection to the
internet_ A DSL (digital subscriber line) would be desired instead of the current 56k modem and
not mlaul telephone line. A DSL line with connection to the internet currently costs $175 a month
or higher_ Separate backups, database administration and system maintenance would be required
by the city- In my opinion this option would place a high cost of operation for the city. Initial
setup costs without setting up a single web page would be at least five thousand dollars.
The second option would be to out -source the site to a third party. The outsourcing arrangement
would remove the city from maintaining a system and a connection to the internet. It also places
the burden of system maintenance 24 hours a day in another's hand. It also leaves the current
system in-house system not connecteci to the internet at A keeping it safe and secure. The cost
of this service should be around $60 per month.
Silvertip Technology Inc.
Silvertip Technology Inc.
Box 2068
Whitefish, MT 59937
4064863-9863
Fax: 4064M 98f
Domain:
A domain needs to be acquired for the City. While any available domain can be acquired
and no official naming exists for City governments, here are some ideas based upon other City
sites currently on the web.
www.cl.ka1isDeH.mt.us
Www.kalispell.org
www.kalisMlJj;ov
Some other city sites to check out include www.atfanta.org www.stpaul.gov and
www.ci.madison.wi.us.
Solution Recommended:
I recommend Snow Dog Productions Inc_ I know they would be responsive to the needs
of the City, produce a professional product with the functionality and ease of use desired. They
can setup pages that can be securely modified by appropriate personnel, and host your site for
you. You can see there work at Yvww.snowdoupro.com Be sure to check their portfolio for
some of the sites they have created.
Estim tin the costs to the city with such little input about what exactly you need is difficult at
best. The more the city can specify exactly what is desired, will assist in getting a specific price as
well as minimizing this cost_ Nonetheless, a cost has been estimated for producing your site by
Snow Dog Pro. The cost is estimated to be $5000 to $10,000 depending on the depth and scope
desired by the city_ The cost includes the following:
Web Site Layout: This includes a splash, home, contact, five other fixed web pages.
Graphics_ Site Navigation, Page Headers, Image Editing and Scanning.
Database Development: For Council database and Parks & Recreation Page.
Cold Fusion Development: (Maintainable by any authorized city employee) For the Council and
Parks and Recreation pages.
After the site is approved, Snow Dog Pro will host the site including the database for $60 a
month.
Silvertip Technology Inc.
Silverbp Technology Inc.
Box 2068
Whitefish, MT 59937
4064W-9863
Fax: 406-863-9865
Please contact me with any questions.
Sincerely,
Ben Smyth
President / Systems Analyst
Silvertip Technology Inc_
NOTES ON WEB SITE
Wes Hines - High School - will be having a Web Design class this fall. Is willing to the put the
design of the City's web site on the curriculum. Students could design the pages, establish the links,
develop departmental pages and some updating. Training a person to update the material or hiring
an outside source is essential to keep information current.
Peggy Bourne - Great Falls - has web site - startup cost is estimated at approximately $5,000. Great
Falls pays right around $200 a month for their intemet provider to maintain the site. Bourne
suggested implementing hidden counters which tells how many people have been in a certain page
of the site and how long they stayed. She said originally the budget was placed on the site and they
found out nobody cared so it was removed. To look at Great Falls' site the web address is city-of-
great-falls.com I have attached a copy of the Great Falls' home page for you to get an idea of
what is available.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
(As discussed at IIMC conference)
If the Council decides to put the wheels in motion, there are several things that need to be considered
prior to starting. (just as Ben mentioned in his memo)
The City needs:
To set goals of what is wanted on the site: history, organizational chart, Council members, Boards
and members, development procedures, advertisement for bids, job openings, board openings,
upcoming events, agendas, municipal codes, public input, etc.
To determine the intended audience for the web site (may want to do survey in newspaper to see
what people would want)
Possible Goals and Objectives (just to mention a few)
Facts about Kalispell
-When incorporated
-Mayor (4 year term)
-Wards and Council members (For example, Saint Paul's Web Site has a picture of each
City Council member which a citizen can click on and E-Mail directly. To view St. Paul's
web site go to www.ci.saint-paul.mn.us)
-Boards and members
-how many departments and offices
-number of employees
-1999/2000 budget
Marketing & Promotions
-maintain positive image of City
-promote special events downtown and in neighborhoods
-internal and external communications (may want place for citizen inquiry or complaints
which should be handled with a follow up phone call)
job postings
-advertisements for bid
It was suggested when a new web site is started that it is kept simple with very few graphics. More
pages can be added later as interest grows.
Several web site examples were given with the following a list that were considered very good:
www.ci.seattle.wa.us (Seattle WA)
www.cityofspartanburg.org (Spartanburg, SC)
www.Indy.Gov.org (Indianapolis, IN)
www.ci.anchorage.ak.us (Anchorage, AK)
If E-Mail is established between the City Hall departments and the outside world (ie: Council
Members) we could then set up a couple of test cases to explore the possibility and feasibility of
"Paperless Packets". Departments, however, should be required to use the same computer program
to eliminate formatting problems.
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