Town Of Reading Website Honored As Best In Its Category

READING, MA — The Town of Reading received the Municipal Website of the Year award for municipalities with a population over 25,000 at last Friday's annual Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) meeting in Boston.

The award recognizes a website's excellence in several categories, including: customer service, functionality, convenience and government transparency.

Reading officials said that in August 2021, the town began a website redesign project with website vendor CivicPlus.

Among the features added to the website as part of the redesign were: upgraded search functionality, a chatbot for signed-in users, a live social media feed, quick link buttons to frequently visited departments, improved links to communication tools, payment systems, a community events calendar and an improved Economic Development experience.

"The new site was a result of months of consistent work by a dedicated crew of professionals working collaboratively and across our departments to deliver a robust tool to meet the growing needs of our residents, businesses and guests," said Jayne Wellman, Reading's business administrator.

Wellman added: "We are thrilled with the MMA's recognition and the support of Town Managers Bob LeLacheur and Fidel Maltez as well as Reading Select Board Members."

Brianna Sunryd, the director of communications and civic innovation for the Town of Amherst, was the judge of this year's MMA website contest.

The municipal websites were evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Current and timely information
• Use of social media and tools for online community engagement (including an events calendar)
• Intuitive navigation tools and organization of material
• Ease of access to resources for residents, such as the ability to apply for licenses and permits, pay bills, order documents and make suggestions
• Availability of public records
• Clear branding as the official municipal government site
• Robust search function
• Mobile-responsive design
• Details about municipal departments
• Visual appeal and overall experience