Webster County is getting a new website which should make it easier for citizens to contact county departments.

The new, redesigned website will allow users to submit e-forms, have a community forum, and have a place to submit complaints, said Webster County IT Director Andy McGill.

“This will be similar to Fort Dodge’s ‘See, click, fix,'” said Supervisor Mark Campbell. “The goal is, people with tile repairs, road issues, nuisances, if you want to submit something from your phone it will generate a work ticket and allow us to communicate with them on the progress of the repairs.”

People who need building permits or a variance can fill out these forms online, Campbell said, saving a trip.

“Our goal is to simplify it while making it easier for the public to use,” he said.

The county approved a contract with Revize Software Systems, of Troy, Michigan, for the website redesign for $17,400, with a $2,300 annual cost for support.

This amount includes a free redesign after five years, McGill said.

It will take about nine months to build the new site, he said.

The old site has been online since around 2000 or 2002, he added. There was a facelift in 2010, and new content is added when necessary, but it hasn’t ever been redesigned.

The new site will be “responsive” — it will change its shape based on the size of the screen, in order to be more usable on phones and tablets.

Department heads will now be able to update their own page, McGill said.

McGill said four or five companies were considered. Campbell thanked him for his work over about 18 months finding the best deal.

“I think it’s a very reasonable price, and it’s very needed to update our website,” Supervisor Merrill Leffler said.

The county website can be found online at webstercountyia.org.