Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Page 1 of 2 <br />Information Technology “Study Session Staff Report”, 4/28/2025 <br />KITTITAS COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />STAFF REPORT FOR <br />STUDY SESSION <br /> <br />Information Technology <br /> <br />STUDY SESSION DATE: 4/28/2025 <br /> <br />TOPIC: Requesting Board Direction of the Public Website Replacement Project <br /> <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Requesting Board Direction <br /> <br />LEAD STAFF: Zane Kinney <br /> <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />IT recommends that the Board continues supporting efforts to evaluate and plan the <br />replacement of the County’s public website using the Umbraco CMS platform. <br />BRIEFING SUMMARY: The County’s current public website, developed over a decade <br />ago as a custom-built web application, has significant limitations impacting public <br />usability and internal operational efficiency. IT is proposing a replacement using the <br />Umbraco CMS platform with the initial site being built by a professional service <br />contractor. This will facilitate departmental content management autonomy, enhanced <br />user experience, and robust multi-site and theming capabilities. Though this project is not <br />ready for board approval, , IT wants to keep the board up-to-date to decrease concerns, <br />keep support, and promote a fiscally strategic planning process. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Our existing website, custom-built internally over ten years ago, requires all content <br />updates to be performed exclusively by IT developers. This process delays timely <br />updates, significantly burdening IT resources, and hindering effective communication <br />and service delivery. The site's structure is outdated, prioritizing informational content <br />over direct user access to services. Departments have consistently expressed interest in <br />having greater autonomy and flexibility in managing their online presence, both from a <br />content management and visual design perspective. <br />Furthermore, the County’s intranet, integral for managing content and data publishing, is <br />concurrently targeted for replacement following board direction. This synergy presents an <br />opportunity to streamline our technology approach and improve overall operational <br />efficiency. <br /> <br /> <br />DISCUSSION: <br />Transitioning to a new CMS-driven website built on Umbraco will provide numerous <br />strategic advantages: