title
Receive a presentation on the launch of the Solanocounty.gov redesigned website
body
Published Notice Required? Yes ___ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ___ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The County Administrator’s Office (CAO) recommends the Board of Supervisors receive a presentation on the launch of the Solanocounty.gov redesigned website.
SUMMARY:
The CAO in coordination with the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) and all County Departments has been undergoing a project to fully redesign the Solano County website to increase functionality and create a better user experience for both County departments and website visitors.
The project included extensive research and planning, including stakeholder feedback, defined requirements, a new visual design, and new site map. Since January 2025, extensive work has been done by all County Departments to transition to and build out the new site which will be launched at Solanocounty.gov by June 10, 2025.
This presentation will include a brief demonstration of the features and content of the new site.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
In October 2024, the Board approved a contract with Interpersonal Frequency (I.F.) to build, implement, and support the redesigned website and backend platform. This included $250,000 for the initial development of the website, including training, content migration, content development support, and integrations. I.F. will also provide ongoing support after the site is launched at a cost of $220,950 in year one with a 5% increase annually. This fee includes hosting, annual integration fees, and support services for ongoing management of the site. These costs are included in the DoIT FY2024/25 Working Budget and FY2025/26 Recommended Budget.
There is no additional financial impact of receiving the presentation.
DISCUSSION:
In December 2022, the CAO in partnership with DoIT and all County Departments launched a project to update the Solano County website. The project has the mission of making the Solano County website an accessible trusted destination for Solano County information and services. Guiding principles include; user-centered design, unified content strategy, scalable for future growth, collaboration, community-focused, and County and department alignment.
In June 2023, as a result of a Request for Proposals (RFP), Interpersonal Frequency (I.F.) was contracted for Phase 1 of the Solano County website redesign project, which included gathering data and stakeholder feedback to understand the limitations of the current website, gathering requirements of the new website, developing wireframes and visual design of the new website, and beginning training on best practices for updating content. Phase 1 was completed in June 2024.
In October 2024, I.F. was contracted to continue with Phase 2 of the website redesign to build and implement the website and backend platform per the Phase 1 requirements and design, including advanced search features, forms and registrations, site translation, and networking and security features. The contract also includes ongoing maintenance and support of the new site, including hosting, support services, and post-launch improvements.
The build of the new site commenced in December 2024. In early 2025, over 1,000 pages and over 6,000 files were migrated to the new site. User training began in March 2025 with nearly 150 County employees from across departments being trained in content editing. Content editors were tasked with updating all migrated pages and documents as well as creating new pages and streamlining site layout to enhance the user experience.
The final site features reorganized content and a new site map to create a cleaner and more intuitive navigation which is focused on residents and website visitors who may not be familiar with how the County is organized. The site is significantly more accessible than the previous website in multiple ways, including multi-device accessibility (such as tablet and mobile friendly), fully translatable into ten languages commonly used in Solano, and webpages meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards to increase accessibility for people with disabilities. Other features of the site include enhanced search, new articles, calendared events, and fillable forms.
The launch of the new Solanocounty.gov website marks a significant milestone in the County’s efforts to create a more accessible, efficient, and user-centered digital platform for individuals seeking information and services related to Solano County.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose to not receive the presentation. This is not recommended because the redesign of the website has been a high priority for the Board and County Departments and this presentation marks the launch of the new website.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The CAO is working with DoIT as part of the core team for implementation of the project. All County Departments have been engaged and will continue to be engaged in upkeep of the new site.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION