Overton County officials say improvements are on the way after residents raised concerns about outdated or hard-to-find information on the county’s website.
Overton County Executive Steven Barlow said the county is aware of the issues. Barlow said the county is working with a website developer to create a new website to address the issues. However, Barlow said it may take some time before the website is ready.
“It takes anywhere from 17 to 24 weeks to get a website off the ground, built from scratch,” Barlow said. “But that being said, the older website is still operable.”
Barlow said the county will have control of updating information on the new website, rather than having to submit requests to a company. Barlow said the county also received many complaints about the current website being hard to navigate, so the developer is focusing on making the site user-friendly.
“Ravenflight (Web Developer) is going to make it so much easier to find,” Barlow said. “You know, what you’re looking for, one click, one page, and you’ll be able to go into what you’re looking at. So, it’s going to be, you know, a little bit more time, but good things are worth waiting on.”
Barlow said the goal is for the county to quickly post meeting notices and meeting updates. Barow said another major addition will be the ability to livestream meetings directly through the county’s website.
“You’ll be able to click and watch a meeting from your living room… wherever you might be,” Barlow said.
While a full launch date has not yet been announced, Barlow said the project is progressing and nearing an early operational phase where staff will begin training on how to use the new system. Barlow said he encourages residents to reach out directly if they are unable to find what they need.
“We’re not trying to hide anything… if you can’t find it, you can always call, and we’ll help you,” Barlow said.