GILROY
– Want to find out where to safely get rid of those old
batteries that just died in the boom box? Or what bus you can ride
to an event in downtown San Jose?
GILROY – Want to find out where to safely get rid of those old batteries that just died in the boom box? Or what bus you can ride to an event in downtown San Jose?
Or – shhhh – do you need help finding a lawyer?
It’s all on the county’s Web site, officials say – simply visit www.SCCgov.org.
The county unveiled a revamped Internet site this week that features a new, more humanized format officials hope will better connect citizens and clients to these services and other information they may need – not only from actual county government itself, but other community providers.
“We’ve created a site that’s based on questions that come up in everyday life,” said District 1 County Supervisor Don Gage. “This makes it easier for a person who may not know how government is organized.”
The new portal aims to group information by key “life events” that occur in everyday life, such as having a baby or caring for an elderly parent. The six life-event groups include “County Connection,” “Living and Working,” “Health and Human Care,” “Doing Business,” “Law and Justice” and “Handling Emergencies.”
The new categories are designed to be more understandable and easier to navigate than more traditional government sites. For example, under “Health and Human Care” there are 14 different life events, ranging from events such as having a baby or adopting and fostering a child to finding disability services or coping with death and bereavement.
Among other topics are getting immediate help, people with special needs, disaster preparedness at schools and day-care centers, disaster planning for animals, recovery and relief and volunteering and training opportunities.
“The site is intuitive,” said Satish Ajmani, the county’s information officer. “It’s designed to provide information for services at every stage of life.”
Links can be found to several other agencies and service providers, ranging from the Valley Transportation Authority to a state courts self-help center.
As before, the site also contains agendas and supporting documentation for meetings of the Board of Supervisors meetings and other county decision-making and advisory bodies, ranging from the Planning Commission to the San Martin Planning Advisory Committee. It also contains a search box feature.
And Ajmani promises more e-government functions to come in the future.
“This is just the beginning,” he said.
To visit the new site go to www.SCCgov.org.
