Brian Dennis spoke at last week's City Council Meeting during the public comment period. Dennis is a Redmond citizen and owner of Small Business Pioneers, a local company that creates websites. Brian and several councilmembers have concerns about city delays in fixing the old city website (redmond.gov). Brian read to Council and Mayor, the following:
For the one or two people out there that don't know, I am a strong advocate of websites as powerful tools to disseminate information and engage individuals. Yet quality websites cost real money, time and effort to develop, maintain and market. Keeping content fresh multiples costs. Based my professional experience I have strong reason to believe city staff has neither budget, time, nor the expertise to deliver on this proposed project. Putting this project out for bid into our own community assures the City has the expertise and a firmly grounded budget number by which to make an informed decision. As a bonus, this process would support the very nature of the project - sustainability - within our own business community.
Council members Allen, Stilin and I all question the relationship of your other proposed project (a separate and distinct "green" website) and the fixing of redmond.gov website. Remember, $300k has been allocated for work to fix redmond.gov yet with no tangible, discernible results, and staff is now looking to spin off a new "green" website. Why spin up a new website? Fix redmond.gov! (This fix has been in the making ~two years.)What do you think of http://www.redmond.gov/? If you've only seen it once, would you go back? Can you think of reasons why the city is dragging their feet on fixing their website? Why are they starting a "green website" when redmond.gov isn't fixed? An improved website would open our government. Are they hiding something? Or afraid of something? Please enter your comments below.
Read my 10/4/2010 post: "Our Aging City Website -- Is the City of Redmond being responsible?
I'd sense more of a story here if the person complaining wasn't in the business of creating websites. Sounds as if he tried his sales pitch on the city and was rebuffed, so he's whining to city council.
ReplyDeleteLikewise, we DO know the story about city government work on redmond.gov using highly paid consultants that can't get the job done after two years of "work" and $300,000 in taxpayers money spent. The question remains, what will this government project look like and how much will it cost to maintain? In the meantime, citizens are forced to live with an archaic site that shields an Open Government. This is a very biddable project which would bring with it valued objectivity.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent post. I remember questioning Marchione and Cole, Inc. on this and they defended it with vigor. I'm seeing lots of energy put into spending money and raising taxes the last few years. I'm in the marketing and Web business and a $300K Web was and still is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on this without FIRST planning the objectives and outcome. (And for the record I would never want to have the City as a client.)
ReplyDeleteMarchione & Cole, Inc. pushed through the money first without a plan and THEN raised taxes. Marvelous. And where is that $300K Cadillac website? Maybe the money went to cover the cost of the $250K in fancy City Hall furniture after realizing a shortfall in being able to pay the interior decorator.
-Brian Hansford
I sense that not many of us are surprised about this boondogle. What business in this day and age would commit that amount of money without first documenting the requirements and having a firm project timeline?
ReplyDeleteWhere is the leadership? Smells like it is being run by government committee. Because the technology is evolving faster than the committees can make a decision, we should keep our expectations very low. If it doesn't go on-line before the money is spent, we can just raises the taxes again and write another check.