Last year the news was good – Bloomfield Township’s
official website was named among the top ten best township
websites in the state. This year, the news is great –
the Township’s website is number one among all
Michigan township websites!
Cyber-state.org, a non-partisan advocacy organization for
information technology, recently released the results of its
fourth annual study of local government websites for
Michigan’s counties, townships, cities and villages.
Bloomfield Township’s site ranked as the top website for
townships.
Bloomfield Township Supervisor Dave Payne commented, "We
know it’s important to have an interactive website so
residents and businesses can have quick and convenient access
to their local government. We see this as one more way we can
connect with our residents and businesses and be responsive to
their needs."
Cyber-state.org found the Bloomfield Township site to be
"sophisticated" and "all encompassing." In the last twelve
months, the following items were among the many features added
to the site:
On-line payment option for taxes and water bills;
Maps – Township borders, safety paths, zip code areas,
civic center campus, and general region;
Special events ordinance and guidelines along with 20
other ordinances and two resolutions;
Lot Split, Site Plan Review, Design and Sign Review
Applications;
Water and Sewer construction projects;
Resources section;
Latest News and Township Events sections;
Watershed Education;
Water and Sewer Current Events;
Gypsy Moth page;
Ryder Cup Matches section.
Of Michigan’s 1,859 local government units (counties,
townships, cities and villages), 547, or 29%, have a Web
presence. Two other Oakland County townships were in the top
ten – Waterford (#3) and Orion (#9). Two Oakland County cities
also placed in the top ten – Madison (#5) and Novi (#6).
Municipal
Web Services, based in Birmingham, Michigan, maintains the
site and consults with Bloomfield Township in its development.
The testing methodology Cyber-state.org used is based on
the nationally recognized Website Attribute Evaluation System
(WAES) developed by the Cyberspace Policy Research Group at
the University of Arizona, Tucson and George Mason University.
Cyber-state.org
emerged as a result of the Michigan Information Technology
Commission’s recommendation to establish a central
organization that would drive the state’s Information &
Communication Technology (ICT) advancements. It is a member of
the Altarum family, a nonprofit research and innovation
institution.
