Town of Cochrane Strategic Plan – Final Report October 2014
7.4.3.2 Establish and maintain 2-way communication channels between the municipality
and stakeholders.
7.4.3.1 Enhance Municipal Website
A community website often provides the first impression to new residents, visitors and potential
investors.122 Municipal websites are becoming increasingly important tools for facilitating tourism,
municipal communication and economic development. 123 A current and dynamic municipal
website is a cost effective way to promote Cochrane.
Residents feel that the Town’s current website has an outdated look and feel and that it does not
allow for two-way communication. That being said, the municipality has done an excellent job at
posting Council proceedings, minutes and agendas, a task that is especially important for
promoting perceptions of transparency. It should be noted that the current Mayor of Cochrane has
a Facebook page on which he regularly posts updates and engages in dialogue with citizens. This
is admirable, although it is not a replacement for a municipal communications strategy.
Ideally, a community website should serve a wide range of purposes:124
• Demonstrate transparent governance through the posting of:
o Council minutes, agendas, decisions, strategies, RFPs and public notices.
o Proposed and adopted budgets for at least 3 years.
o Employee business contact information.
o Minutes and agendas for governing bodies, planning board of adjustment and
commissions.
• Encourage citizen engagement by integrating with social media or other means of two-way
communication.
• Provide potential visitors and newcomers with information about the community and
surrounding area.
• Provide investors with economic development information.
• Act as an emergency services hub in the event of natural disaster or other emergency.
• Collect payment for fines, tickets, taxes, permits and other municipal transactions.
• Handle registration and payment for town-managed events and programs.
Furthermore, government websites should meet provincial accessibility standards,125 be optimized
for search engines, and incorporate task-oriented usability features to maximize the site’s
122
Sicilia, M., Pérez, R., & Heffernan, T. (2008). How do E.U. cities utilize their websites? A content analysis and
suggestions for improvement. Journal of Internet Business,5,2–26.
123
Borelli, Massimo. (2011).The Municipal Investment Promotion Toolkit. Oracle Corporation.
124
Alexander, Scott (2011). Websites will become a key municipal service. New Jersey Municipalities, Volume 88,
Number 1, January 2011.
125
For more information on accessibility standards, visit the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and
Employment site at http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/accessibility/info_sheets/info_comm/website.aspx
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