LIHU‘E — The County of Kaua‘i announced its revamped website earlier this week, in a statement highlighting improved accessibility, organization and search capabilities.
According to the county’s statement, plans for a new site were initiated in early 2021, when “a priority was placed on enhancing communication between the county and its residents” during a biennial goal-setting session.
Software company Granicus was later selected for the $170,000 project and began remodeling the site during the beginning of fiscal year 2023, according to an email response to The Garden Island from the county’s Information Technology (IT) Division.
The Granicus website calls itself a “solution for all levels of government,” stating that it aims to “transform resident and government worker experiences” through its online and digital services.
The county highlighted Granicus’ implementation of a new communication tool called GovDelivery Communications Cloud. The tool is meant to create bulletins to display on the website, allowing users to select the information they are interested in receiving from the county.
The feature also “allows the public to sign up for email updates through a wide selection of categories, and when a new bulletin is created under a certain category, all subscribers get an email notification,” wrote the IT Division.
The county also stated the remodeled site provides better access to Kaua‘i County Council meetings, boards and commissions.
According to the IT division, it’s “too early to tell” if the new website has improved communications or increased traffic to the site. But the county hopes that its work with Granicus has made it easier for residents to stay up-to-date with county information.
“Our aim is to optimize interactivity by exploiting the diverse functionalities provided by Granicus, thus enabling users to retrieve information effortlessly,” wrote the IT Division.
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Emma Grunwald, reporter, can be reached 808-652-0638 or egrunwald@thegardenisland.com.
