It has been nearly two years since city ordinances and resolutions went online and City Clerk Heather McVay said she is working to digitize other city documents to make them more easily accessible to the public.
City ordinances, resolutions and minutes to El Dorado City Council meetings, some dating back to the 1800s, are available for viewing at goeldorado.com by clicking the “About” tab and then the “City Document Search” tab.
McVay said she has received positive feedback from residents and out-of-town companies who use the website to access city documents.
“This has brought us up to what other cities are doing. We wanted to make things more transparent to the public,” she said.
Digitizing city records has cut down on wait time for those who request city documents, McVay said.
“Some people are not familiar with computers and so I’ve walked them through the process,” she said, adding that for some computers, users have to enable cookies — which provide a way for websites to recognize users and track their preferences — to view the documents.
The system also saves time for McVay.
“It helps me make better use of my time management. This is a one-person office, so instead of spending an afternoon looking through big old (ordinance) books — some of them were not indexed correctly because of human error —, I can do things in a more timely manner and I can help the public more efficiently,” McVay said.
Cellphone applications also help to streamline the process of making documents available online, the city clerk said.
“So, if I’m out of the office or if something is signed (by the mayor) while I’m out of town, I can take a picture of it on my phone and make it available online,” McVay said.
Now, McVay said she is working to place the documents into digital folders listed by year and add minutes from city commission and board meetings, saying that an intern may be able to assist with the process this summer.
Additionally, she is looking into setting up a work station for public use at City Hall, allowing a read-only version of the software for visitors to view.
McVay said she is also eager to delve into other capabilities that are available on the software, for which the city has contracted with R&D Computer Systems, LLC.
With assistance from McVay, R&D scanned documents, including old ordinance books, set up web distribution portals, and provided software.
The contract also includes ongoing maintenance and technical support.
“They’ve been wonderful. Any time I call them, they’re available. So far, we haven’t had any real problems,” McVay said.
McVay said she is eager to implement the software for use in other city offices.
For instance, she said the software includes a workflow system to assist people who want to conduct city business online, such as buying building permits.
“We can use it for ward maps. The mayor can use it for city contracts and you can schedule an alert to let you know if a city contract is about to expire,” she said. “It’s worth what we’re getting for it and if we can utilize it in more ways, we would get even more bang for our buck.”
McVay said some people are still not aware that city records are available online.
“Some people know by word-of-mouth. I’ve posted it on our Facebook page and when people call, I’ve let them know,” she said. “It’s pretty awesome. I love it. It makes everything more accessible to the people.”
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].