County website now offering public notifications

     In March, County Auditor Whitney Hein, Sheriff Greg Graver, and County IT Coordinator Lisa Mootz (members of the county website committee) all met with the Jones County Supervisors to discuss an upgrade to the county website.

   For a one-time fee of $1,000, the county was able to offer the public the opportunity to sign up for notifications.

   Visit www.jonescountyiowa.gov. On the homepage, you'll see a red bar at the top that says "NEW! Click here to sign up for notifications." Provide your name and email address and sign up for one, some, or all of the following:

   • Alerts

   • Bid notifications

   • Employment opportunities

   • County news

   • 911 Service Board agendas

   • Board of Supervisors agendas

   • Conservation Board agendas

   • Planning and Zoning Commission agendas

   • Board of Adjustment agendas

   • Solid Waste Management Commission agendas

   • Board of Health agendas

   • Sheriff sales

   • Veterans Affairs Commission agendas

   "We decided to include all offices and departments that have public meetings," offered Hein. "The website developer also made suggestions on the types of notifications that they have helped implement in other counties."

   When signing up for various notifications, an example of a county "news" item might be a brief article posted the county's website. An "alert" would be a banner that spans the top of the website that is used to draw attention to something of high importance such as inclement weather closures.

   "There is currently an alert on the website promoting this new notification system," noted Hein.

   Earlier this year, Hein informed the supervisors that her office sends out between 70 and 80 emails a week to the public who request board of supervisor agendas. Now, the public can self-subscribe at their own convenience.

   "This will cut down on staff time," Hein said of sending mass emails out. "The recipient may also find this method more user-friendly as the email notification will come from the same email address each time instead of various individuals in each of the separate offices."

   For instance, if you receive the board of supervisors' weekly agenda, that may come from Hein herself or any one of the deputy auditors.

   "They can pick and choose from a list of different things they want to subscribe to," Hein suggested in March. "I feel it's good for the public to be informed.

   "The notification system was made available as a way to be transparent to the public and I truly hope that the public will sign up and utilize this system in order to stay informed on what is happening in their local community."

   The public notification system went live the week of Aug. 19. As of Aug. 27, 58 people have signed up for a variety of notifications, alerts, etc.

   "Each person has selected anywhere from one notification option to all of the options," shared Hein.

   In September, the county website committee (made up of county officials and employees) will meet again to discuss ways in which to "refresh" the website.

   "The core pieces will remain," Hein said, "but I do anticipate some changes in color scheme and modifications to the buttons on the main page."