Oh What a Web Site We Weave

Soon, you may not ever have to visit borough hall at all.

A sneak peak of the borough's new web site was offered up by Assistant Borough Manager Erica Weekley and it was quickly evident that it will allow even more on-line interaction with borough government.

"We see the web site as a place of civic engagement," Weekley told borough council.

"We want it to be simple for residents and visitors to find out what they need to know about Pottstown," she said.

Ass't Borough Manager Erica Weekley

As The Digital Notebook reported on Aug. 14, council voted unanimously to hire a Manhattan, Kan. firm to create the new web site at a cost "not to exceed $35,278."

The firm, Civic Plus, did the work in eight phases and is finishing the final touches on schedule.

CivicPlus only serves counties and municipalities, according to its website and, among its claims to fame, is a "digital town hall" and official web site it created for free for tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo.

Councilman Dan Weand noted that one of the modules on the new web site will allow for electronic communication in a way that makes the purchase of another $8,000 program unnecessary.

The web site, Weekley said, "is extremely user friendly. People can sign up for e-mail notifications, they can fill out a permit or an application for employment. Everything is very accessible, easy to use."

If the new borough web site 

becomes too popular, 

will anyone visit

borough hall any more?

"We can even put banners on the site when there's an alert, or send a text message during an emergency, or for other reasons," Weekley said.

"We really believe this is the forum for today," she said. "This is the town square."

Hopefully, it will improve the borough's interaction with the community, especially its younger members.

"According to the Experian Simmons Spring 2009 New Media study, 80 percent of those 18-24 first go to the internet when researching community events and resources— before newsletters, bulletin boards or even a visit to Town Hall," wrote Scott M. Alexander, the Mayor of the New Jersey Borough of Haddon Heights and President of PoliticWeb.com.

"Seventy percent of those 25-34, 50 percent for those 35-49 and 30 percent for those 50+ also go to the internet first," he wrote for an article in the January, 2011 edition of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities website.
"We're very excited about the new web site and we welcome your input before it goes live," she said.

Council had no public input.

Borough Re-Organization Underway

Sorry for the poor
quality of the photo
Erica...

After several years without one, Pottstown has a new assistant borough manager — although she has a familiar face.

Erica Weekley, who has spent the last several years as Pottstown’s grants administrator, was the person newly-minted Borough Manager Mark Flanders chose for the post.

He made the announcement during the Dec. 10 council meeting.

And those are not the only changes either already implemented or in the works at borough hall.

Several other positions are being changed, as are several departments and several salaries.

Flanders said although Weekley’s salary will be $65,000 a year, that is $35,000 less than the previous assistant borough manager salary and is also partially offset by the elimination of the “projects coordinator” position, a part-time post now held by Robert Evans that paid $48,800 in 2012.

Weekley’s salary will be further offset by the fact that her replacement will have fewer duties, mostly managing the requirements of grants already obtained, and doing some work at the reception desk.

Borough Manager Mark Flanders

As a result, Flanders explained, that salary line will be lower in the 2013 budget.

Also being changed are the circumstances of Sandi Chieffo who, while being in charge of human resources for years, did so as part of the borough manager’s administrative hierarchy and budget.

Flanders said Human Resources will become it’s own stand-alone department and, as the head of that department, Chieffo will see her salary rise by $11,300 from $63,700 to $75,000.

Also becoming a department head will be Brent Wagner, whose salary as Utilities Director will increase by $3,700, from $71,300 to $75,000.

That’s a result of a change in the way maintenance and repairs at both the water and sewer treatment plants will be conducted, said Flanders.

“It never made much sense to me that we have mechanics and electricians at the water plant and at the sewer plant, and while the guys at one plant may be doing very little, the guys at the other are working like crazy to fix something or get a big project done,” Flanders said.

Instead, Flanders created a Maintenance Department by which workers will do work at both plants “under a work order system,” that makes better use of the expertise of both sets of employees and keep better track of expenses and hours.

Wagner, who currently oversees operations at both plants, will be in charge of this department.

Flanders also said he is spreading out the supervisory work at both plants, ensuring there is a supervisor working during each of the two shifts each plant runs, something that was not previously done.

There are no planned changes at the Public Works or Parks and Recreation departments, Flanders said.
As for the Code Enforcement; the borough’s engineering firm — Remington, Vernick and Beach — is currently conducting an extensive review of that department and Flanders said he plans no changes until the firm issues its recommendations.

The idea behind these changes, said Flanders, who also holds the post of police chief until April, is to make borough operations more efficient.

Overall, Flanders said, the financial impact of these changes on the budget’s general fund is “not significant.”