South Fayette talks website, budget
South Fayette Township has been looking into upgrading its website for a few months, and on Nov. 6, commissioners heard a presentation from a representative of Civic Plus. Township administrators started conversations with Civic Plus in March of this year.
Civic Plus, based out of Manhattan, Kan., is a company that deals in designing and maintaining websites for municipalities and governments. Sal Urbano was on hand to present information at the meeting, and said Civic Plus has more than 1,500 clients in the United States, Canada and Australia. The company has designed websites for Washington County, Cranberry Township and Mt. Lebanon.
“We would not just be creating a static website,” Urbano said, adding that if Civic Plus is chosen, the company would work to design a website that would reflect the township.
He said the goal is to “help citizens engage and interact with their municipalities.” Urbano added that the website would have to not only be visually appealing, but “have functionality, too.”
Discussion on the matter of a new website will continue at future meetings.
Discussion of South Fayette’s 2014 budget was also on the agenda for the Nov. 6 meeting. Township manager Ryan Eggleston said a first draft of the budget is “pretty much finalized,” but he needs the extra time to complete it, because at the last evaluation, the township’s police pension minimum municipal obligation has increased by nearly $90,000, going from $380,000 to $475,000. The number is reevaluated every two years.
Although Eggleston said it is not required by law to include that increased number, “it would be prudent if we could include it.” He said a copy of the draft budget should be posted to the township’s website by Nov. 11.
A public hearing to discuss the draft budget will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at the municipal building prior to the board’s regular voting meeting.