The Christiansburg Town Council unanimously voted to authorize spending up to $40,000 for a new town web site. In addition, they authorized up to $500 per month for hosting and maintenance, and they expect additional costs for server and firewall hardware.
I can't fathom what features the web site will have for that price. Government sites are generally over-programmed, flash-laden sites - because programmers "can," not because it's a good idea. (For that much money, I almost wish our company wanted town governments as customers!)
The Town does not effectively use or update its current web site. The Town Manager reportedly doesn’t want meeting agendas, minutes or the Town Code on the web. Why is it prudent to spend $40,000 + on a new web site when we have no reason to believe it will be regularly updated or used to provide information desired by taxpayers?
Some Council members stated on record that they are
barely computer literate, without a basic understanding of computers,
web sites and accounting software. Does throwing $40,000 at the situation enhance their understanding? It's clear that finance isn't their best subject, either.
The Town budgeted $10,000 for a web site in 2008. Mr. Stipes reported that Christiansburg may fund $10,000 per year over the following 3 years to finish paying for the new web site.
Will the developer do one-fourth of the work each year, burdening taxpayers with an unfinished web site? Maybe the developer is lending Christiansburg $30,000, and a large part of the $40,000 is interest on the loan.
Why doesn’t the town demonstrate good faith by using the current web site effectively for one year? Then, Council will have information to decide if spending $40,000 on a new site is fiscally responsible.