Information Services Advisory Board
MINUTES
December 6, 2007, 6:00 p.m.
Town Hall Campus
Council Large Conference Room #10035
316 N. Academy Street, Cary, North Carolina
www.townofcary.org
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m.
Present
John Fitzpatrick, Tangie Hofer, Helen Hutchings, Nazi Kite, John Nolander, Vijay Raghavendran, Staff Liaisons Teri Peralta and Deanna Boone, and Council Liaison Julie Robison
Absent
Terra Brown-Shelton, Lee Douglas, Mark Evangelista, Todd McGee and Staff Liaison Susan Moran
Approval of Minutes
The minutes from the November 1, 2007 meeting were approved unanimously.
Watch List: Web Site Overhaul
This topic was considered as new business, detailed below.
Watch List: Traffic Management System Update to Citizens
There were no comments on this item.
Watch list: Dynamic Message Signs
Ms. Peralta stated that a policy statement and standard procedure have been prepared and that the Engineering Department would like the ISAB to review the documents before they are presented to council. She noted that copies would be made available to board members prior to their January meeting.
Watch list: RSS Technology
There were no comments on this item.
Mr. Fitzpatrick chaired the meeting in Mr. Evangelista’s absence.
Old/New Business: Final Web Site Design
Guest: Deanna Boone
Ms. Boone began by sharing a printed copy of the new Web home page, showing the new colors and content layout. She stated that she received a great deal of input concerning site navigation and layout and believes she has incorporated these suggestions and made the site more user friendly. She continued by noting that the Mission Statement is included on the home page, drop down menus along the top of the screen and icons at the bottom with direct links to frequently visited pages such as EMLS sign-up, Cary TV 11, and so on.
Ms. Robison arrived at 6:11 p.m.
Ms. Boone went on to explain that the center of page would be the section that has changes from time to time with news releases and public service announcements.
Ms. Robison asked how easily citizens would be able to find agenda items. Ms. Boone replied that while the site is still in the testing phase, this issue would certainly be addressed. Ms. Robison was concerned that citizens should be able to find agenda information quickly on the new site.
Ms. Boone continued by noting that the calendar will be more comprehensive than the previous version and will include information from various departments. She also explained that the overall template design of the Web site has changed and the launch will include these changes four to five tiers deep, but all departmental information will remain the same at this time. She confirmed that the newly designed site is on schedule to be launched in June or July 2008.
Mr. Nolander asked when the next budget cycle would begin. Ms. Robison explained that the various departments are in the process of preparing their budget requests and then after first of year the overall budget is assembled, reviewed at the manager level and then brought to council for review and input early in February. She then encouraged the board to submit any budget recommendations to the Town soon.
Mr. Raghavendran asked if there would be a test for the new Web site. Ms. Boone indicated that there would be a test phase before launching the new site. Ms. Robison observed that the reference to Cary being the Technology Town of North Carolina was absent in the new design. Ms. Hofer felt that if the reference was to be there it would be good if it linked to a page that explains what that means, how Cary got the designation in the first place. Ms. Robison indicated that the designation came about for several reasons, including its proximity to the RTP, being the first to have paperless council agendas, implementation of a computerized signal project and generally leading the way in adaptation of technology. A discussion followed regarding the need for branding and consistency in use of logos and branding.
Mr. Nolander noted that the new site design is wonderful but the board still had some questions concerning design and content. Ms. Robison suggested that the discussion might continue at the January meeting. Mr. Fitzpatrick noted that it would be nice if the calendar incorporated the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources (PRCR) program. Ms. Boone stated that, as far as she knew, PRCR did not have any plans to change the way they put out their program brochure. Mr. Fitzpatrick suggested that it be looked at as a future goal.
Ms. Boone took a few minutes to present a “Lite Site” patterned after the tragedy in Virginia Tech. She explained that because their Web site was getting so many hits there was a need to create a pared down version of the site without graphics that would take less time to load making critical information more quickly and easily accessed. Ms. Robison observed that someone would have to determine what constitutes an urgent message.
Mr. Fitzpatrick commented that there are ways of determining how many unique visitors to the site there are which could be an indication as to where the interest in the site is coming from. He noted that, although the survey indicates that 90 percent of the citizens have internet access, the number of unique visitors might be very different. It was suggested that this might be considered as part of a future discussion about the Web site.
Old/New Business: Proposed Town Council Television Show on Cary TV 11
Mr. Fitzpatrick began by suggesting that the program could be produced on a trial basis. He felt there should be stated objectives and, if there is a way to measure whether those objectives are achieved, they are met, the program could continue. Mrs. Hutchings expressed concern that this could be seen as more talking at the citizens rather than with them. She also noted that the last Citizen Satisfaction Survey showed the number of viewers of Cary TV 11 was low and recommended finding ways to promote the show to encourage new viewers and make it easy for them to participate, such as leaving questions on the Web site.
Ms. Boone reminded the board that the program could also be made available on the Town’s Web site, like the council meetings, making it accessible to more viewers online. Ms. Robison stated that Mr. Weinbrecht would like to create a blog, adding that citizen comments might also come in that form. It was mentioned that perhaps citizens who feel they are not informed might really just feel disconnected and this television program might work as a way of helping citizens feel connected, creating a satisfying experience between citizens and their local government.
Mr. Weinbrecht arrived at 6:53 p.m.
Ms. Robison introduced Mayor Elect Harold Weinbrecht and the board members introduced themselves, mentioned how long they have served on the board and described their area of interest and technical expertise. Mr. Weinbrecht then gave a brief history of the Information Services Advisory Board. He stated that in the mid-1990s he was not involved in politics at all but made himself available to show Glen Lang how to navigate the Web during his campaign. He continued by noting that Mr. Lang was elected Mayor and, when Mr. Weinbrecht suggested that the Town needed a more proactive Web site he was asked to create it. Mr. Weinbrecht explained that at the time there were no televised meetings and anything on site had to be council approved which created a two-month lag and no one in Cary had a clue what was going on. He said that he began attending council and committee meetings and shared what he heard with about 1,000 people who had signed up to receive his emails, and then early in 1998 he went to a council meeting to say that Cary was supposed to be Technology Town and it had the worst Web site and told them about his email list. Mr. Weinbrecht concluded by saying that Council Member David Brooks moved to create the board and Mr. Weinbrecht was named chair.
Mr. Weinbrecht then turned attention back to the proposed television program. He noted that he began his mayoral campaign with four topics in mind: growth, roads, schools and environment, but because he didn’t feel like anyone was listening when he brought ideas to council, his focus shifted to effective communication. He expressed a desire to find a way to put staff and citizens together to come up with some great ideas, adding that Cary has a lot of smart professionals that can and want to help. He also explained that the television program would work together with his weekly journal, or blog, and that after providing a 10- to 15-minute overview of his activities he would answer questions from citizens that had been submitted over the span of a month.
The board unanimously agreed that the television program should go forward as described.
Old/new – ISAB Mission Statement
Mr. Weinbrecht felt it was best to leave the way the board formulates its mission statement up to the board itself, keeping in mind the direction the council is heading toward getting more citizen involvement. He indicated that he envisions the board having a lot of great ideas to discuss and bring recommendations for implementation back to council.
Mr. Weinbrecht also expressed a desire to change the Town’s image from that of a community that has a lot of everything but still complaining to that of a friendly neighbor that has a lot of everything and is ready to share.
The board agreed to carry their discussion of its mission statement over to their next meeting along with their review of the proposed dynamic message sign policy statement and standard procedure.
Statement of findings:
The board was impressed with the presentation of the new Web site design and look forward to a more detailed presentation at a future date. The board also discussed a proposed town council television show and concluded that it should go forward as described. Due to time, it was agreed that consideration of the board’s mission statement would carry over to the next meeting along with a review of the dynamic message sign policy statement and standard procedure.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.