Monday October 1, 2012
By Jeff Green, Staff Writer for The Record

Passaic County’s website has been upgraded with a new look and additional social media and emergency notification features.

County Administrator Anthony DeNova announced the changes to passaiccountynj.org on Monday; they include using Facebook, Twitter and an alert bar to post information about emergencies. The site overhaul includes a facelift and helps the county in an effort to become more transparent, officials said.

“The goal right now is to put up minutes, every ordinance, anything we possibly can to make it easier for the general public to view government records,” said Freeholder Pat Lepore. “We want to make it easy as possible for our constituents.”

Lepore noted that providing more information online may help stem a steady flow of public records requests, which many local government officials have said are bogging down their departments.

The changes to the county’s site include a new tool called Citizen Request Tracker that allows residents to report problems, such as a broken streetlight or stray animal, through an application available on iPhones and Facebook. The application sends requests to the appropriate county department and allows government employees to communicate with residents.

The overhaul was built by CivicPlus, a Kansas company that specializes in rebuilding government websites. Since March, the company has announced 78 government contracts, including Passaic County’s and one with the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission.