NJ Municipal Websites Examined by Monmouth University
At Monmouth University in West Long Branch, the results of a Polling Institute/Graduate Program in Public Policy municipal website evaluation program were released last week. The top municipal website was deemed to be Middleton Township in Monmouth County, which had high ratings on content availability and ease of use.
According to an article on NJToday.net, the study found that nearly all municipal websites provided the names of council members, mayor, town clerk and the address of the municipal hall. Only two thirds provided direct message function to mayors and council members. Only 15% of websites had clear links to the municipal budget, which the article says is a state statutory requirement.
No surprisingly, websites designed by professionals ranked higher than those designed by volunteers or individuals.
The full report New Jersey E-Government: Best Practices for Municipal Websites can be found at www.monmouth.edu/polling .
