Town of Saratoga considers new website… again

The Town of Saratoga discussed a plan to make its website more user friendly by hiring a local web designer at its recent council meeting.

Councilwoman Kathy Beck said she has received some feedback from residents, who say the “website is not user friendly.” The current website went live approximately one year ago, in December 2022.

Beck asked if there is a way the town could look at not renewing the website license, which is $3,400 a year, and instead hiring a local web designer. The designer would set up the website and the town staff would manage it.

She said she would like to explore this option, which, among other things, would provide the town with monthly analytics on how the website is being used. For example, she would like some information on how many people visit the site and how much time they spend on it, with an eye to improving the “efficiency of the website.”

The cost of this option would be a “one-time fee” and the town would have “a little more control over [its website],” she said. The goal would be to increase involvement from community members.

People visiting the town should be able to use the site to get information, she said. “It’s something we want to start looking at...”

“You pay [the web designer] a one-time fee and we’re responsible for maintaining it,” she said. “The town could send out announcements,” on the website, for example.

Mayor Chuck Davis said he wanted to start planning the town budget earlier than usual this year and this is a good time to look at this option.

“We’ve got some time,” Beck said.

“I would say move forward with this,” the mayor said.

“The town needs to have a good website,” Mayor Davis said. “People come into town and want to find out what’s going on—what’s in Saratoga.”

In other business, the council heard a report from Lieutenant John Moore of the Saratoga Police Department.

Moore said he thinks the new dispatcher and two new call takers may start by the end of the week.

Later that week in an interview, Police Chief Mike Morris said Joshua Mathieu, the new dispatcher, and Tiffany Moore and Tana Davi, the new call takers, “have all started as of this weekend.”

Chief Morris said the two call takers should get their temporary dispatch certificate in “another week to 10 days.”

Also on the agenda was the official vote on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Town of Saratoga and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Department to temporarily provide emergency dispatch assistance to the town.

The council voted to approve the MOU.

In other business, the mayor asked if the town will have time to use the State Homeland Security Grant Program award, since it had not been budgeted in the current budget.

The grant has to be used by August 31, 2025, so that is not a problem, said someone in the audience.

Also on the agenda in town reports, Recreation Director Kim Hemenway said 13 people participated in the Dec. 2 Ugly Sweater Run. It was a fun run and the town did not name winners.

Hemenway said the town is trying out a drop-in pickleball class from 6-9 p.m. on Thursdays to see if there is any interest.

“It is an opportunity to grow the game, stay active and learn how to play,” she said in a later interview. The center had some people from the other pickleball class and some high school students attend the first class last week.

Some of the summer players have moved on to warmer climates and this is a way to increase the number of players at the recreation center, she said. The other class meets from 10 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

In other business, Director of Public Works Emery Penner asked the council to approve a payment for a 32 ton-load of salt at a cost of $4,684.80 from Mesa, AZ.-based company, Desert Mountain.

Penner said the town will mix the salt with sand and apply it to the surface of streets to prevent slipping and other winter weather problems.

He said the town has budgeted $23,000 for snowplowing.

Council approved the invoice to purchase the salt.

Also, Penner discussed a contract for professional services for the Town of Saratoga Greater Road Project. He said owner and engineer Craig Kopasz has given the town “as good a deal as we’re going to get from anybody.”

The contract is outlined in phases.

In the Water and Sewer Joint Power Board report, Penner said the town is looking at possibly raising the water and sewer tap fees. This is in process.

Planning Commission

The council discussion at its previous meeting about the possibility of using a grant to fund a cleanup at the “old police department” from the Department of Environmental Quality is on hold. The grant would pay for an assessment of whether the area is a brownfield. The council wanted more information about any liability if it pursued the grant.

Penner said he needs the town’s legal adviser to look at the information ADEQ sent before he can report back to the council.

Saratoga Town Council At-A-Glance

APPROVAL OF THE BILLS

Deposits – $73,155.08

Transmittals – $12,448.69

Accounts Payable – $21,553.04

Payroll – $40,868.96

Two drop-off sites for donations to the annual food drive are: The James Land Co. at 116 S 1st St, Saratoga and the New York Life office at 318 N 1st St, Saratoga.