2026: Episode 6 - Jefferson County's Website Got A Glow Up!

It's actually more than a glow-up its an entirely new platform. You will still find everything you need to know at JCCAL.org, but on Wednesday, May 27th, we are launching a new website. New colors, streamlined navigation, different ways for citizens to engage with us. Give us 10 minutes and you will hear from the Chief Information Officer, Sri Karra; Director of Public Information, Helen Hays; and Chris Bookout, Web Application Development Manager, about how we got here, and where we plan to go next to make doing business online with the County easier than ever!

Have an idea for a County podcast? Contact the Director of Public Information, Helen Hays at haysh@jccal.org

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:18

Welcome everybody to the Jefferson County Podcast for the people. I'm your host today, sort of. I'm Helen Hayes. I'm the director of public information. And with me today, I have Shree Kara, who is our Chief Information Officer. Very excited to have you today, Shri. And then we have Chris Bookout, who is our web app development manager. And so this podcast is going to be a little different for us today because it's hard for me to interview myself. So, and Chris and I have been knee deep or really neck deep and getting ready to launch the new uh Jefferson County website. And so we thought we'd invite Shree today, and we're each gonna ask at least two to three questions of the other people here on the podcast. So you guys can get a little bit of a perspective from what we've been working toward and what we hope is gonna be a great benefit to the citizens in of Jefferson County. So, Shree, I'm gonna let you go first. What three what questions do you have for Chris and I?

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Well, good afternoon, Helen, and good afternoon, Chris, and thank you for doing this podcast. Super excited to be part of this podcast and talk about the future of Jefferson County website that we are planning to launch very soon. So here we go. The first question I have for you, Helen, is so you both have been immersed on working on this new site for months. What has been the most eye-opening moment? Helen, you go first.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

I think for me has been the ADA compliance factor. You know, when we started it, we had a deadline of mid-April from the Department of Justice, and we were racing toward that deadline. And then right before the deadline, they extended it a year so we could relax a little bit. But it was everything that I learned that went into what made not just a website ADA compliant, but really everything that we offer, our social media, our podcast, um, everything that we needed to do to make our content and our information more accessible for citizens that um have invisible disabilities. So I I joined an ICMA uh or 3CMA um communications group because cities and counties across the country are all dealing with this, and we all share, you know, information. So that was the most, I guess, eye-opening part of it for me is how much went into that, just that component of the website.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

Excellent. Great. Chris, what's your take on that?

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Yeah, and for me, the biggest eye opener was uh discovering that our website had basically turned into like a an old closet or attic. You know, we had tons of stuff out there, nobody's quite sure how it got there, and you're kind of afraid to do anything with it because what if somebody does really need it? You know, but once we looked at, you know, how people really try to use our site, we realized we, you know, just didn't need the update. We needed a kind of a uh a reboot of our whole site. Kind of when it hit us that it's really important that a you know, clean, simple design is is what we need to present to the citizen, make it easier for them, you know, to navigate to find the information they need.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

So thank you. Helen, as a public information director, what do you think citizens will like most about the new website?

SPEAKER_02 4:05

I think the thing, it'll be really invisible to them, or maybe not so much, but we now have the capability to do forms, fillable forms on the website. So there are a lot of places in the Department of Revenue and um a lot of other um places on the website that we were asking people to download a PDF, fill it out, and email it and send it back or fax it back. And so I think having the capability to develop these forms in the site. And so once you fill it out and submit it, it goes to the person in the department on the other end. And so processing that information, I think is gonna be a lot more efficient, both on RN and and for the citizens when they're trying to get us the information.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Great, great. And Chris, what do you think you like about the new website?

SPEAKER_01 5:03

I'll I'll echo what Helen said. The the the forms are gonna be a lot better for the citizens. I think the navigation is gonna be better for them. Uh I think we've got it uh organized in a better way now. And so we've got some more meaningful content out there. And again, you know, hoping that this makes it easier for the for the citizens to engage with us.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

Well, you all know when we ventured into this website free youth project, you know, a lot went behind the scenes. So what did you both learn during this process?

SPEAKER_02 5:40

I'll go first. I was kind of like Chris. I had no idea that on our website, between the external facing website, and we're also doing a new employee portal, there were 900 pages of content. Holy cow! That was a lot to review and go through. And and we we've done it, and I won't say um you know it's perfect, it's not perfect. And my whole thing with the website is it's never finished, it's always evolving and changing. So that was a lot.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

You, Chris? Yeah, it completely changed how you thought about organizing our information, right? And and the tools we need to build. Um, that that was something that I learned from it. You know, and I also learned I I thought we good engagement from our departments uh wanting to up update their content and keep it up to date. And you know, I um I guess I shouldn't have been uh surprised, but uh just how eager most of our our uh departments seem to be able to have another avenue to communicate with our citizens.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

You know, and I'll kind of echo on that. Sri that's really, you know, citizens won't realize that, but internally for us, that's kind of a culture shift, giving the departments more control over their content on their pages. And we had over 50 people come to the training on how to learn this new site on the back end so that they can keep their information updated. And I was just really impressed and grateful for the engagement from the departments in this process.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

Yes, absolutely. It's a collective and collaborative effort, and we have what 27 plus different departments and various municipal agencies all coming together collectively so that we can share the information with the public. So it's pretty engaging. Yeah, I really enjoyed this process. Now it's your turn, Ellen.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

I like asking questions instead of answering them. So that's where I'm more comfortable. All right, so Shree, I'm gonna start with you. So your department, information technology services, it's a big department and it manages a lot. How did you carve out this time for Chris and his team? Because they have been so dedicated to this. And I'm a small department of two people, and Chris's team is a small team. So for a small team to dedicate the time, but we also had Angela, who is the project manager. How did you carve out this time for them?

SPEAKER_00 8:30

Great question, Helen. And one thing I'm really proud of, our ITS department is that we've built a culture where prioritization isn't about choosing one important thing over the other. It's about understanding the county's mission and sequencing work so the right things get the right attention at the right time. When we first committed on this new website, it's a huge undertaking, you know? And uh and we knew it was once in a decade opportunity to improve how citizens experience Jefferson County. And that meant treating it as a strategic initiative, not just another project in the queue, right? So to make room for Chris's team to truly focus, we did a few things differently. I have a really great IT leadership team with good management folks over here. So they went out and did an overall portfolio realignment and shifted certain operational or lower impact items to other teams, deferred non-critical upgrades and streamlined internal processes so we weren't bogging them down with competing demands. And secondly, we empowered other leaders in our ITS to step up, which they did so that Chris and the web team weren't constantly pulled into multiple unrelated issues. And third, we communicated clearly across departments so people understood that this project would temporarily take priority because of the long-term value it brings to the county.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Well, I myself, and I was super grateful for their time and commitment, and I really appreciated it. So, Chris, I have a different question for you. How have you kept your sense of humor through all of this? Because you know I tend to lose mine.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Yeah. Um, well, you know, humor is definitely cheaper than therapy. So um, you know, and as you can tell, I kind of use humor every day. You know, it kind of helps lighten the load a little bit. And this was such a long and challenging project. Um, you know, and if you can make someone smile along the way, then maybe it makes their day a little better and you know makes the hard parts a little easier. So try to keep it light and you know, um as stressless as possible.

SPEAKER_02 10:57

Well, I agree. And uh you guys have been fabulous to work with. Um, Shree, one more question for you. When you first saw the concept site, what was your initial reaction? Because it is different.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Well, I'm glad you asked this question, Helen. Um, when I first saw the concept site, my immediate reaction was uh a mix of relief and excitement. You know, the relief because it was very clear we were finally moving toward an experience that better reflects the professionalism and scale of the work Jefferson County does as a whole, and excitement uh because I could see right away the potential for how much simpler and more intuitive this would make things for our citizens and our employees. What impressed me most was how the design team captured the balance we have been aiming for. Modern, clean visuals, a different color palette altogether, without losing the clarity and accessibility people depend on. Even in those early concepts, that I could see how the structure would help departments tell their story better and how the navigation would cut through the complexity, we've all lived with the old legacy site, right? And it sparked ideas for how we could continue evolving, how this foundation sets up for the just for not for the redesign, but for more dynamic and service-focused digital presence. So that the first moment was really a confirmation that we were headed in the right direction.

SPEAKER_02 12:44

Yeah, I was really impressed with how the design team took our verbalized, you know, wishes and turned it into something that I was like, that's what I had in my head, which was sometimes hard to get in my head, obviously. So Chris, I'm gonna turn it over to you. It's your turn to ask questions.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

My turn. All right. So Helen, the first one is for you. What are the future enhancements you want to see after launch?

SPEAKER_02 13:22

Ooh, future enhancements. Well, I think that I think the thing I want to do first is listen to the feedback we get from the citizens. And we're gonna set up in the action center on the new site where they can send us their feedback of what they think about it. So I think that'll be good. I'm also really excited we already have the Ask Jeff CO tool on the front, but um I think it's um the vendor that we have that through is going to be providing some enhancements to that. So I'm really excited to see the future of that. And that is an AI-based tool. As AI grows, I know Shree, all of your department is looking at how we can leverage that, but leverage it wisely without jeopardizing um anyone's information or anything of that sort. I think there is gonna be a new um communications tool we have in eNewsletter now, but um Civic Plus has a whole different tool that I think it's gonna allow for even more customization from citizens. You know, for example, they from day one, they'll be able to go into the website. And if they want to know more about hazardous waste days or electronic, you know, drop-off days, there's a specific calendar for that, and they can subscribe to that. And when we add things to that calendar, they'll get a notification. But I think in the future we'll have more enhancements from our departments, like the Department of Revenue will be able to have its direct communications to its customers, and PACA will be able to do the same for the purchasing division. So I think it's really gonna allow for individual customization by the citizens for what information they receive from the county.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

All right, good answer. All right, Sheree, I'm gonna ask you the same thing. Uh, what are future enhancements that you would like to see after this launch?

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Well, I'm looking at more in a strategic and visionary aspect rather than just looking at different features. Let me put it this way. After the launch, I see the website becoming much more than a place to find information. I see it becoming the front door to a fully modernized digital Jefferson County, if I can say so. The foundation we are laying now lets us connect the site more tightly with our upgraded applications and AI-enabled tools so residents get a smoother, more intuitive experience and to add. And over the time, I want the site to feel smarter with better search, personalized guidance, and the ability to anticipate what people need based on common patterns. I also want to expand the transparency with more open data, more dashboards, more ways for residents to understand how the county is performing, especially in alignment with the Jeff Cove. And most importantly, I want this to be a living platform. With the modernization momentum we have across our ITS department, I think we are in a position to continuously improve, iterate faster, and evolve the site as citizen expectations evolve. Launch is just the start and the real transformation comes next.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

All right, Helen. So as we wrap up, uh just want to ask you one more question. If the residents remember just one thing after this conversation, what do you want them to do on day one? And where should they share feedback so we can keep improving?

SPEAKER_02 17:08

So on day one, go to the new website, jccal.org, look at it. If they have bookmarks for any previous pages like the revenue department tags, that sort of thing, they'll need to make new bookmarks, right? And if they if they go to that page, we've got a fun redirect in place that'll tell them that there's a new page. But also for them to give us feedback on the site as they're as they're looking for things, if there's something they can't find, um use the um action center, and that is in the how do I ask a question that goes directly to the action center, and they can um submit a question or an improvement there, a future enhancement, and um and we'll start working on it. It's like Shree said the day that we launch is not the day that we quit doing anything, it's the day that we start on what's next. All right. So I think we've all asked our questions that we had. Anything else that we didn't um touch on, Sri or Chris?

SPEAKER_00 18:23

I think we covered quite a bit answering the questions and more than sharing information with the public about the new website pre-launch.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

Yeah, I'm pretty excited about it. Um so I hope all the citizens that listen to this podcast are excited about it too. Again, we're doing it for you so you can get to the information that you need faster. Um, if you need help finding something on the website, there is the Ask Jeffco tool there. You can just type in a question and um it crawls the website and we'll give you an answer. Um, it does not know the meaning of life or just about anything related to your tag or driver's license or anything else. It can help you out there.

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Yeah, and also, Helen, I would like to add and thank our partner and vendor that's Civic Plus, who we actually selected to do this website hosting and design. So um very grateful for the Civic Plus team, the entire team. Uh, we have really worked very closely in a very collaborative approach. So very thankful for their site design and their professionalism and very much looking for a good feedback so that we can improve on our website from the public.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

Absolutely. Well, we'll wrap this up and thanks for you guys both for being here today. And we will see you next time on the Jefferson County Podcast for the people. If you have something else you want to hear about on the podcast, you can email me. My email address is Hayes H. That's H A Y S H at J C C A L dot org. And we look forward to um giving you some more information in the near future. Thanks everybody.