Here's Your First Look at Montgomery's New Website

Tonight, Montgomery trustees will cast their first vote on the latest design for the new village website. And so far, the response has been positive.

The new site is the work of Kansas-based company CivicPlus, and will cost the village a total of $14,357. The design is still being finalized, and was built based on input from the community, as well as the village’s website design team, which includes one member from each of the village’s departments.

The latest draft of the design blends three photographs of the village into a panoramic picture, and offers drop-down menus to reduce clutter. Each of the options across the top—Departments, Village Board, Residents, Businesses, Our Community—opens a drop-down menu, as do the options to the left, beginning with Agendas.

On the right side of the screen, you’ll see options to report a concern, sign up for mailing lists and alerts, and pay your bills online. Though the screenshot is static, the photo above these options will rotate between several shots of the village.

News headlines and an events calendar take up the middle section, with options on the bottom to follow the village on Facebook and Twitter.

This is not necessarily the final design of the site, village leaders said, though it is an update from an earlier one presented to the Committee of the Whole last week. CivicPlus is hoping to receive final design approval by Sept 9, and the board plans to vote on the new design tonight—it appears on the consent agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting.

The new website is scheduled to go live on Dec. 9.

“I would like to commend the web team,” said Trustee Stan Bond upon seeing last week’s design. “It’s a huge step forward, and it will represent our community well.”