Kane County looking to Web to reach public

Back in the days when multiple newspapers wrote about Kane County on a daily basis, and people actually read them, it was much easier for Kane County officials to communicate with the public.

As newspapers struggle and cut staff, public knowledge of the county's operations wanes.

"It really requires that we have to change our own paradigm and how we communicate with our constituents," said Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay.

That change means the county has started a path to transforming its Web site into the No. 1 mechanism for communicating to taxpayers and residents. It has a long way to go.

An independent review of the county's Web site recently found it is sorely lacking in information about county contracts, lobbying activity and ready access to public records. Transparency is now the prime goal for evolving the Web site. This month the finance department began posting all accounts payable information on the Web as a living document about everything the county spends money on. Contracts will be slower in coming as there is no uniformity in record keeping among the departments to make such paperwork easy to scan and post online.

County board members said Tuesday they'd also like the Web revamping to make the more popular destinations and service requests easier to find. Doing so may ultimately result in a cost savings to the county through increased automation. But in the short-term, the changes will take a back seat the county's budget concerns. A major upgrade and interaction with the public through the Web site would require the employment of a full-time webmaster, which the county does not have right now, nor does it have the money to hire anyone.

In the meantime, the county wants feedback about what the community wants to see on its site. Suggestions may be submitted via e-mail to comments@countyofkane.org.