The city is excited to announce the debut of our newly-redesigned, citizen-centric website, still at www.battlecreekmi.gov.
The new site will become active today, and could take up to two days to be visible on all computers and devices.
Our new site aims to meet the goals of a citizen- and service-oriented online space that is intuitive and meets the needs of our residents, workers and visitors. The new site also is very visual, with photos and graphics in a variety of places.
To that end, a big feature is the “I Want To…” tab at the top of the page, where residents can find specific items, like what to recycle at the curb, how to dispose of leaves, and our online utility payment portal.
A big improvement achieved with this site is that it is mobile-friendly. This means that the website will be usable and readable in a browser on any tablet or smartphone device; it automatically will respond to the size of that device for optimal viewing.
Some other key features:
• Citizens can create an account, available at the very top of the page. Use this to personalize your experience and create a dashboard with the items you most want to see, like job opportunities and social media.
• There’s a robust Notify Me section that allows citizens to receive text and/or email notifications related to alerts – like boil water advisories or bus route detours; various calendar items; meeting agendas for the City Commission and other groups; and more. Citizens also can subscribe to our Latest News section, available on the home page.
• The City Spotlight, near the bottom of the home page, offers information and links to current and ongoing projects and information.
• There’s a Google Translate feature at the bottom of the screen, which will translate the site into many languages, including Burmese, Spanish and most others that might help our residents make use of our site.
• The department pages include physical address information, including a map, to help citizens locate us. The site also has a Facilities page that shows photographs of our buildings and gives public hours.
• Citizens will start to see more online forms to help streamline our services, like the form used to make a Freedom of Information Act request.
We continue to tweak and develop items and features on the new site. We hope everyone will enjoy it and we encourage feedback and questions be sent to PublicInput@battlecreekmi.gov.