“I attended a GMA (Georgia Municipal Association) meeting probably three years ago, and it was said there that if you were a municipality that didn’t have a website – you were way behind!” said city clerk Vicky Smith.
Mayor Chris Peck said a site could offer a positive service to the community.
“I personally think it’s a great idea for us to move in this direction,” he said. “With our own personal site we could post updates about our Christmas and Forth of July events, instantly provide information regarding new laws and safety issues within our community and even create a calendar of trash pickup dates for everyone in the city to access.”
Council member Ellyn Trinrud listed numerous ways in which the site could also be a source of information to more than just those currently residing in the city.
“It would also be a good resource for individuals who may be planning to move into the area as well,” she said. “We could post facts about our city, list local churches they could attend, community events they could become involved in and local attractions they may want to check out.”
Councilman Bert Robinson questioned who would be responsible for overseeing such a task.
“Who would be the personnel responsible for updating and maintaining the website, and all its information?”
Peck informed the council of what would need to be done.
“We would have to find someone that would be willing to build our site, and then contract with them to maintain it as the webmaster,” he said.
Peck chose to table the topic until the next meeting, so more research could be done regarding the creation of the site.
“I believe this is definitely something we need,” he said. “But before we make a final decision, we all need to look more into the cost of starting the site and who we could get as our webmaster.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other matters, the proposal to implement a new leash ordinance for domestic animals within the city was tabled until next month’s meeting. The new property insurance update revealed a five-percent increase in property value, with the new rate being $8,329. Also, the city council is already beginning its preparation and planning for Colbert’s annual Fourth of July event, which is set for July 2.
“We had a great turnout for the Christmas event in December, and would like to have the same results for our Fourth of July event as well,” said Peck. “The next Fourth of July Meeting will be on April 18, and we’re going to need all help that we can get!”
