Finishing touches are being applied to the city of Larkspur California’s official website, which aims to better connect local government to the community.

City Manager Dan Schwarz unveiled the revamped design to the City Council at its July 20 meeting, also announcing that the project is moving ahead of schedule.

“We scheduled a launch in August, but quietly put it up last weekend,” Schwarz said. “Not all of the functions are in place yet.”

Schwarz said the overhaul would provide a “big improvement” over its predecessor.

“It’s designed to empower us to communicate with the public better,” he said, adding that the site will incorporate many forms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and text messaging. “It brings the old site up to today’s standards.”

Among the new bells and whistles are interactive forms for residents needing to file documents with city officials and a chance to sign up for notifications about meetings, events and policies.