But the global reach of this city was limited because Pharr lacked a city Web site. More importantly, Pharr was limited in how it served the needs of its citizens and business customers.
That changed once city officials contracted with CivicPlus to develop an attractive Web site that serves its local community and an increasingly global business audience.
"We chose CivicPlus for two reasons," said Fred Sandoval, Pharr city manager. "First was the cost. Because we are spending taxpayer money, as a municipality, we take very seriously our responsibility to give the taxpayers their money's worth. A close second, however, was the ability to provide city employees from different departments with the training they needed to learn how to modify their own Web pages from their offices here at City Hall," he said. "We found CivicPlus to be the most comprehensive Web solutions company around in terms of economy and meeting the needs of our staff and the needs of our community."
Users only need minimal training and knowledge of Microsoft Word to create and maintain highly functional Web pages. The staff at Pharr City Hall has been impressed with its new-found ability to make the public immediately aware of the inner workings of municipal departments.
The homepage provides a partial calendar of events, with a link to a more comprehensive listing. The site has a handy staff directory providing phone numbers, street addresses and e-mail addresses for key city employees, such as the Code Enforcement Division and City Clerk's Office. The Business Directory gives similar information on a growing list of businesses (more than 550 currently listed), from bail bonds companies to plumbers and senior healthcare providers.
In the Document Center, visitors can download city maps, check out 2000 Census information for the city of nearly 50,000 people, or get critical city documents including complaint forms, building permits and even library card applications.
The Web site allows potential city employees to e-mail a resume, download a job application and even sign up to be notified about new job postings. The site also lists current municipal job openings, with descriptions of duties, qualifications and special requirements.
For companies that want to do business with the city, the site lists current bid postings and gives visitors the options of being notified about new bid postings.
Sandoval says the city is getting a lot of feedback on the site thanks to another medium: cable television. When City Commission meetings are aired on a city cable television station, one corner of the screen prominently tells viewers they can find more information at www.cityofpharr.com
"We have seen that the Web site is generating interest. We're broadcasting it during all meetings, and people are becoming more familiar with department heads that run the city," Sandoval said. "They're learning some of the nuances of operations that they may not have known already, such as how to apply for a permit, how to go about contacting somebody who does weed control, things like this."
"It's been a very positive development," said Sandoval. "And it's a work in progress that we can always update. City ordinances change, new ordinances are adopted and thanks to the CivicPlus system, this Web site gives us the ability to make almost instant contact with the taxpayer."
