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Port Richey's city Web site, www.copr.net, has undergone significant changes in the past six months to provide easier navigation and to invite community input.

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By KLINT LOWRY | The Suncoast News

Published: September 10, 2008

PORT RICHEY - For eight years, Kevin Hamm's job title with the city has been "technical support specialist." With the start of the 2009 fiscal year, he will be the Manager of Information Systems.

A change in job title may sound superficial, but it reflects a much deeper change in philosophy when it comes to technology at City Hall, a change that can be seen in much more tangible terms in Hamm's handiwork on the city's Web site, www.coprnet.

Residents who haven't visited the site in the last few months might be surprised the next time they do, finding a home page filled with clearly worded, clearly placed links printed in bold letters that immediately show the way to the hottest topics like dredging information and the upcoming fiscal year's budget.

There are links to audio files of recent meetings, to hurricane information, to city ordinances that are currently under review and to links inviting residents to give their two cents about those ordinances.

"It's a pretty functional site now," Hamm said, noting many of the features and formatting have come in the last six months to reflect an increased attitude at City Hall to embrace the site and use it to its full potential.

For eight years, Hamm has been responsible for the site. In fact, he owned the domain www.copr.netand approached the city about using it as its city Web site. Even so, Hamm has always left the content totally up to the city administration.

"It was terrible for a long time," Hamm said. "It was just there to make a presence - 'We have a Web site.'"

The first big wave of improvements began a few years ago, Hamm said, when then-Police Chief Bill Sager wanted more features on his department's portion of the site. Today, the Police Department page includes constant feeds from the Amber Alert system and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; a regularly updated file of registered sex offenders living in the city; and links to programs, services and agencies.

"I think that was the biggest step for the Web site was when the P.D. brought theirs up to date," Hamm said. Other City Hall departments followed the police department's lead, albeit slowly.

Hamm credits the Web site's latest leap to the technological comfort level of the current administration. When City Manager Richard Reade came back in late 2007, he emphasized transparency and community input, and he immediately started working with Hamm to use the Web site toward that end. The reemphasized community input function of the site got a jumpstart over the summer with an online vote to pick the design for new city signage. Even accounting for a small degree of online ballot stuffing, the participation was impressive and has helped establish the more interactive nature of the site.

"It's got to be a tool to get information out, and it's got to be a tool for us to take information in," Mayor Richard Rober said. "Basically, overall, our media has improved, and it needed to improve. I think that will be a continually evolving platform for us."

Hamm also commented on the current City Council being particularly Web savvy and comfortable about using it to its potential, and how he enjoys working with them on new ideas.

Along with adding amenities, other recent changes have made the site more efficient. Audio recordings of meetings are now available online later the same night as the meetings. To save time, Hamm has made it possible for personnel from various city departments to be able to post some of their own material without having to go through him.

Hamm's wish list for the future includes one day having a computer kiosk at City Hall for people who don't have Internet access at home. Another goal is to give people direct access to records so they can look up ordinances and other documents without having to file a request for a copy.

One feature that's coming soon will be the ability to pay their water and sewerage bills online through a link on the site. The software for that service was included in the Fiscal 2009 budget.

Bit by bit, Hamm said, the public seems to be more aware of the improvements to the site. It's exciting to see where it can go from here, he said.

Klint Lowry can be reached at 727-815-1067 or klowry@suncoastnews.com.

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