WEBSITE
POLICY
MANUAL
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

II. PURPOSE

III. OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Communications and Technology Committee

B. Administration Department
1. Website Administrator
2. Website Coordinator
3. Website Technician

C. Department Web Coordinators
IV. INTERNAL POLICIES
A. General Policies
1. Copyright Guidelines
2. Departmental Presence Required
3. Posting of Documents
4. Images and Graphics
5. Staff Contact Information
6. Privacy Links
B. Operational Policies
1. Content Management System
2. Access to Website Server
3. Intranet Usage
4. Training of Staff
5. Reporting and Troubleshooting Problems

C. Content Policies
1. Creating and Submitting Content
2. Approval of Content
3. Questionable Content
4. Website Calendars
5. Home Page – News and Announcements
6. Facility / Room / Park Reservation System
V. POLICIES THAT AFFECT PUBLIC USERS

A. General Policies
1. Accessibility Statement
2. Changes to Policies

B. User Policies
1. Terms of Website Use
2. Privacy Policy
3. Content Policy
4. Standards for Posted Content
5. Linking to the Village Website
6. Links to External Websites
7. Reservations of Facility / Room / Park By the Public

VI. APPENDICES

A. APPENDIX A – Website Features

B. APPENDIX B – Documents To Be Posted on the Website

C. APPENDIX C – Responsibilities for Posting Content
 

I. INTRODUCTION
A. The Website of the Village of McFarland (hereinafter referred to as “Website”) is an official publication of the Village.  All material and graphic images contained on the Website are expected to meet and maintain the highest standards of timeliness, accuracy, fairness, and access so that the Village is correctly portrayed as a leader in providing municipal government services.  This Policy Manual is intended to provide guidance in the implementation, maintenance, and enhancement of the Website and should be modified as needed to keep current with changing needs and evolving technologies.

B. The Village of McFarland has responsibility for administering the content placed on websites registered under the following domain names:
 www.mcfarland.wi.us
 www.villageofmcfarland.com
 

II. PURPOSE

A. The Village of McFarland is committed to presenting to the public a positive image of the Village.  The Website is an important “front door” by which we inform the public about the services and programs offered by municipal government and promote the many attractions of the community at large.  It offers all users an easy and convenient way to electronically access information or conduct Village business from any location at any time.  The Website should maximize current online technologies to present a fresh, interesting design and to offer user-friendly accessibility with state-of-the-art navigation and search tools.
 

III. OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
A. COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
This Committee, which is advisory to the Village Board, is responsible for general oversight of the Website.  Its oversight duties include:  reviewing Website policies and procedures, professional services agreements, and budgetary items; considering site-wide upgrades to Website features/technologies or changes in site-wide graphics; and evaluating questionable content or external links for compliance with standards.

B. ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT
1. The Administration Department is responsible for making policy recommendations to the Communications and Technology Committee and the overall operation of the Website.  Various duties are distributed across several staff members.  The assignment of specific responsibilities may be adjusted from time to time to meet the needs of the organization.
2. Website Administrator

These responsibilities are currently assigned to the Village Administrator position.
a. Advises the Communications and Technology Committee on the following matters related to the Website:  policies and procedures; professional services agreements; operating and capital budgets; and staff assignments.
b. Ensures that Website policies and procedures are followed.
c. Addresses with Department Heads any problems with the posting or updating of individual department web pages.
d. In conjunction with the Website Coordinator and Website Technician, reviews and approves the addition of major new content areas that would expand significantly the size and / or bandwidth usage of the Website.
3. Website Coordinator
These responsibilities are currently assigned to the Clerk / Deputy Treasurer position.
a. Maintains the “responsibilities index” in Appendix B which identifies those staff members responsible for maintaining specific areas of the Website.
b. Coordinates Website content that is not the specific responsibility of an individual department (e.g. “parks and recreation” or “general community information” or “village employment opportunities”).
c. Regularly reviews the overall content of the Website for consistency in formatting, accuracy in grammar and spelling, and timeliness in posting.
d. In conjunction with the Website Technician, advises the Communications and Technology Committee on proposed content or external links that may be of a questionable nature.
e. Identifies staff training needs and facilitates training programs through the Website Technician or other staff.
f. Coordinates technical support assistance through the Website Technician or other staff.

4. Website Technician

These responsibilities are currently assigned to the Cable Manager position.
a. Is responsible for all technical issues related to the initial development, implementation, and ongoing operation of the Website.
b. Serves as project manager for the initial design and implementation of the redesigned Website and for future upgrades.
c. Ensures that the Website maintains compliance with accessibility standards.
d. Reviews and approves the use of animated images on the Website.
e. Maintains the master list of approved Website users, assigns passwords for web access, and enables the security level of access (view, modify, delete, add) authorized for each user.
f. Trains Department Web Coordinators in the use of the web-based content management system, provides general technical support, and hosts periodic user group meetings.
g. Serves as the central point of contact for technical problems or issues.  As necessary, works with the Website design consultant or the hosting firm to resolve problems.
h. Monitors on a regular basis the space used by Website content and graphics and reports to the Website Administrator any potential problems with the overall size or bandwidth usage of the Website.
i. Arranges for general photographs and graphics to be used on the Website and assists departments with the same for their web pages.
j. Assists in the review of questionable content, requests for links to external websites, and requests from community organizations to post events on the community calendar.
k. Produces a monthly statistical summary for the Website.
l. Tracks industry trends related to municipal websites and identifies new technologies or techniques that could improve the Website.

C. DEPARTMENT WEB COORDINATORS
Each Department Head will appoint a Department Web Coordinator (see Appendix B) who will be directly responsible for maintaining the content of the departmental web pages.  The Department Head will, however, retain ultimate responsibility for the departmental web pages.  Duties of the Department Web Coordinators include:
1. Viewing, adding, modifying or deleting content on the departmental web pages.
2. Ensuring that all content posted has been appropriately screened through that department’s internal review process and that it conveys the department’s message in a consistent, accurate, and timely manner.
3. Participating in all training sessions on the web-based content management system and in the user group meetings.
4. Posting all departmental documents identified in Appendix A, including timely entry of appropriate calendar events.
5. Reporting to the Website Technician any problems, errors, or suggestions for improvement received from users of the Website.
6. Conducting an annual review of all documents and graphics on the departmental web page and recommending to the Website Technician that certain content be removed.
 

IV. INTERNAL POLICIES
A. GENERAL POLICIES

1. Copyright Guidelines
Each individual page on the Website will display the copyright notice of the Village of McFarland as shown below.  An appropriate legal release must be obtained from the content creator(s) or copyright holder of any content, graphic, photograph, or design appearing on the Website that was not created by Village employees for Village use.
  © 2006 Village of McFarland, Wisconsin

2. Departmental Presence Required
All Village departments will be required to maintain a full presence on the Website.  No funding or staff time provided by the Village is to be used to maintain any separate websites operated by the departments or related organizations.

3. Posting of Documents
Appendix B provides a summary list of general document types and specific documents that will be posted to the Website.  To further the goal of providing open government to its citizens, the Website postings will include agendas, approved (not draft) Minutes, and appropriate background materials for all municipal government and related meetings, except for documents pertaining to topics discussed in Closed Session in accordance with Wis. Stats. §19.85.  It is expected that all such documents will be posted to the Website in a timely manner.

4. Images and Graphics
The intent of the Village of McFarland in posting images and graphics to its Website is to respect all copyright, trademark, HIPPA, and ownership laws and to comply with relevant guidelines on universal accessibility and design.  To that end, the following guidelines shall apply to all photographs, images, and other graphics posted to the Website from an external source:
a. The use by the Village must be authorized by the owner in writing.
b. An associated Alternate Text Tag (ALT) must be posted on each web page into which the item has been inserted.
c. The item must be properly uploaded into the Web Photo Gallery.
d. Any use of animated or moving images must be approved in advance by the Website Technician or, if necessary, the Communications and Technology Committee.
e. As the content of the Website grows it may become necessary for space management purposes to prioritize documents to be maintained on the site or require that documents be removed after a specified period of time.

5. Staff Contact Information
The Village will maintain on the Website for public access a comprehensive data base of contact information for all elected officials and management staff, including title, summary of responsibilities, and photo (encouraged but optional).  Contact information for other employees or volunteers may be displayed for internal use on the “intranet.”

6. Privacy Links
A link to the Website disclaimer and privacy policy will be displayed on each page within the site.

B. OPERATIONAL POLICIES

1. Content Management System
The standard development tool used in the Website is a “content management system.”  This fully web-based system will be used by Department Web Coordinators to post content and documents on the site.  Attempting to post content by using methods other than the content management system may cause code compatibility issues and require additional effort to ensure that pages meet the Website standards.  In the event that content posted with other web software causes problems with the Website, the content causing the problem will be removed until the department and the Website Technician can find an acceptable solution.  The Website Technician may, as appropriate, use other web-based software to meet special Website needs.

2. Access to Website Server
The content management system operates in a live environment with secure access controlled by differing levels of authorization.  Department Web Coordinators and others with proper authorization will be granted appropriate access to the portion(s) of the Web server needed for the purposes of posting, updating, modifying, or adding content.

3. Intranet Usage
The Website allows departments the capability to utilize a secure “intranet” for internal communications.  Department Heads will submit to the Website Technician a list of people to be authorized to use the intranet.  If concerns over the size (mb) or space usage arise from departmental use of the intranet, the Website Technician will work with the department to identify specific problem areas and suggest potential solutions.

4. Training of Staff
The proper training of Department Web Coordinators is the joint responsibility of the Department Head and Website Technician.  At the time of appointment as a Department Web Coordinator, the staff member is expected to review and familiarize himself/herself with all current Website Policies and related training resources.  The Website Technician will also provide individualized training as needed.

5. Reporting and Troubleshooting Problems
Once the Website is fully launched, it is expected that there should be few problems related to site coding or programming. If staff members do encounter problems posting content they should first check the status of the Village’s internet service as it will not be possible to post content during periods the internet is down.  All Website problems should be reported immediately to the Website Technician who will resolve the problem or work with the hosting service to determine the cause and identify a solution.

C. CONTENT POLICIES

1. Creating and Submitting Content
New content generated by Village staff must be created and posted in accordance with all applicable Website policies.  Department Web Coordinators and others with proper authorization will be able to post content directly to the “live” server as long as internal departmental policies are followed.

2. Approval of Content
a. Web pages or content developed by Department Web Coordinators must meet the department’s internal policies and be approved by the department head (or designated representative) prior to posting.
b. Web pages or content created by the Website Technician for a department will be submitted to the Department Web Coordinator for review and approval prior to posting.
c. Web pages or content created by the Website Technician for portions of the site that are not the direct responsibility of a department(s) will be submitted to the Website Coordinator for review and approval prior to posting.

3. Questionable Content
Questionable content is defined as any content that may be viewed as not clearly meeting one or more of the “Standards for Posted Content” identified in Section V-B-3. of the Website Policies, or that poses special management or system security issues.  The Website Coordinator and Website Technician will work with the affected department during the content approval process to correct any potential problems.

In the event that a disagreement over questionable content cannot be resolved at the staff level, the issue shall be referred to the Communications and Technology Committee for a determination.  The Committee will use the following criteria in evaluating questionable content.
a. Does the proposed content violate the above-referenced “Standards for Posted Content”?
b. Will the proposed content severely affect the downloading times or overall server storage capabilities?
c. Could the proposed content pose an undue risk to the security of the Village’s computer systems?
d. Does the proposed content:  contain objectionable statements, make remarks that may be considered offensive; endorse or favor a specific organization, agency, or business; seem inappropriate in any other ways?
e. Could the proposed content be perceived by a reasonable person as reflecting negatively on the Village of McFarland?

4. Website Calendars
A master calendar of Village government activities will be an important feature of the Website.  The various department / area calendars contained on departmental web pages will be capable of linking into one master calendar.  Notices of government meetings or events should be posted to the calendar once the events are confirmed.  Meetings of other governmental bodies (e.g. Dane County, DOT, DNR) will be posted on the Village government calendar if the meeting is being held in the Village or an agenda item(s) of widespread interest to Village residents is on that meeting agenda.
When posting an event to the calendar, it is important that all Meta data fields be filled in, including the title and date(s) of the event and both the short summary and detailed descriptions of the event.  Any related support documents should also be posted with the calendar event.
In the future it may be desirable to develop a separate “community calendar” to display events held by other organizations.  Authorization to post events on this “community calendar” would likely be restricted to community organizations that receive direct funding or in-kind support from the Village or are otherwise affiliated with the Village.

5. Home Page – News and Announcements
The content displayed in the “news / announcements” main content pane of the home page of the Website should be kept as fresh as possible.  This area is designed to work in conjunction with the calendar feature for ease of posting.
a. Content displayed on the home page should meet the following criteria:
(1) Should be short term in nature.
(2) Should be an item of widespread interest or immediate action.
(3) Should be an item with no permanent location as defined on the site map of the Website.
(4) Should be of benefit to the Village or to visitors of the Village.
b. Content displayed in the main content pane should be removed promptly following the event or be updated in a timely manner with more current information.

6. Facility / Room / Park Reservation System
The Website incorporates a centralized system that allows public users to request online reservation of a facility, room, or park.  Priority will be given to the needs of Village departments and government functions in scheduling the use of all Village facilities.  These Village-related uses of facilities should also be reserved using the online scheduling system to avoid double booking of rooms and to provide the public with the most current information about the availability of facilities.  Online requests received from the public for scheduling the use of a facility, room, or park will be referred to the appropriate department and processed according to the internal reservation policies and procedures of that department.  The information about room availability that can be accessed on the Website will not contain any specific information about the purpose for which a room has been reserved, only the fact that it has been previously reserved and is therefore not available.
 

V. POLICIES THAT AFFECT PUBLIC USERS

A. GENERAL POLICIES

1. Accessibility Statement
It is the intent of the Village of McFarland that its Website be accessible to as many users as possible under the standards set forth in Section 508 and W3C (WCAG 1.0).  When practical, all information on the Website will be designed to comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the integration of metadata and tags on images and charts.  If any user encounters a Website page that does not meet these standards, please report the problem to webmaster@mcfarland.wi.us so corrective action can be planned.

2. Changes to Policies
The Village will post any proposed changes to the “Policies That Affect Public Users” for a minimum fifteen (15) day public comment period prior to implementing the change.

B. USER POLICIES

1. Terms of Website Use
The Village of McFarland makes available for use on the Website information and documents subject to the conditions set forth in this Terms of Use policy statement.  By accessing this Website, you agree to the Terms of Use.  The Village of McFarland reserves the right to change the Terms of Use at its sole discretion.  Your use of the Website will be subject to the most current version of the Terms of Use posted on the Website at the time of such use.  In addition, when using particular services or materials on this Website, you are subject to any supplemental posted guidelines or rules that are applicable solely to those specific services or materials.  All such supplemental guidelines or rules are hereby incorporated by reference into the Terms of Use.
You may use this Website only if you agree to these terms:
a. You agree that you will not violate or attempt to violate the security of this Website by hacking, sending viruses, or any other similar malicious or careless conduct.
b. You agree that you will not utilize the communication capabilities found within this Website for the communication of any material that may reasonably be considered scurrilous or offensive.  Offensive materials are defined as sexual content or images, slurs against race, religious or political beliefs, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin or physical attributes.
c. You agree not to upload or attempt to upload content of any type to this Website.
d. You acknowledge that you have no right to the intellectual property associated with this Website and that you have only a limited right to use this Website.
e. You acknowledge that the Village of McFarland does not warrant the accuracy or availability of this Website.
f. You acknowledge that the Village of McFarland is not responsible for any loss, damage, or injury that you may have as a result of your use of this Website.
g. You agree to be bound by all laws applicable in the Village of McFarland with respect to your use of this Website and you agree that any court proceedings relating to your use of this Website will take place in the Judicial District of McFarland.
h. You agree to grant the Village of McFarland all intellectual property rights in the content of any e-mail that you send to the Village.
If you DO NOT agree to ALL of these terms, please log off this Website immediately.

2. Privacy Policy
The Village of McFarland maintains this Website to provide information and service to the public.  In order to operate this Website we collect certain statistical information about the use of the site.  We also allow users to send e-mail and submit other information to the Village.  The purpose of this privacy policy is to let you know what information is collected, why it is collected, how it is used, and the extent to which the information may be disclosed to third parties.
a. Information Collection and Usage
The Website does not collect any identifiable personal information from you without your knowledge.  We only collect such personal information if you choose to identify yourself by sending e-mail or submitting information to the Village through one of the forms available on this site.
When you visit this Website to browse or download information or link to another website, our server will collect a small amount of basic information in log files that enables us to identify operational problems and correct them.  The information collected includes your browser type (e.g., Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer), your operating system (e.g., Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux), and your IP Address (a unique number assigned to a computer when the computer accesses the Internet).  The Village monitors this information to ensure that the Website is available for access to all users and to identify unauthorized attempts to use or alter or otherwise damage the site.  We do not permanently store this information, which is automatically deleted on a periodic basis.
b. Information Sharing
If you choose to send an e-mail to the Village we will use the information that you submit to respond to your inquiry or request.  If you choose to submit other information by filling out a form that is on the Website we will use the information only for the purpose specified in the form.  We may share the information that you submit with other governmental agencies, if doing so will assist us in responding to your inquiry or submission.
c. Application of the Wisconsin Public Records Law
Except as discussed above, the Village will not disclose any information that you submit, unless we are required to do so by law.  You should be aware that e-mails and other information that you submit to the Village does automatically become public record.  In most circumstances, the Village would be required to disclose that information in response to a formal public records request or a court order.
d. Information Security
Any identifiable personal information obtained by or through this Website is maintained on separate computers by the Village, protected from public access via the Internet.  It will only become available to the public, in any form, when appropriate for release pursuant to the Wisconsin Public Records Law.
e. Privacy Linking from the Village Website to Another Site
The Village privacy policy applies only when you are on the Village Website.  When you link from the Village Website to another site, the Village privacy policy no longer applies.  You will then become subject to the privacy policy on the other site.

3. Content Policy
a. It is the purpose of the Website operated by the Village of McFarland to provide accurate, non-editorial content that will inform, educate and enlighten citizens about the functions, services, activities, issues, operations, and projects of McFarland municipal government.  In addition, the Website is used to facilitate, where appropriate, the delivery of direct services provided by McFarland municipal government to its citizens and other customers.
b. The information provided via the Website is considered public and may be downloaded, printed, or distributed freely by and amongst the general public.  Please note, however, that website/page design, HTML coding, interactive web applications, scripts, and/or custom website graphics and certain photographs may NOT be public domain and may thus require express permission from the author/creator for use and/or implementation on any website that is not maintained by the Village of McFarland.
c. Supplemental information and/or hyperlinks may be included on the Website in an effort to provide or direct visitors to additional resources.  The Village of McFarland does not have editorial control over such information nor the content contained on external websites.
d. The Village of McFarland makes reasonable attempts to maintain current and accurate information on the Website.  There may be occasions, however, where information becomes temporarily outdated pending the receipt and posting of available updates.  Consequently, the Village of McFarland cannot expressly warrant the accuracy of web content on a 24/7 basis.  Alternately, the Village of McFarland has provided adequate contact information on every page throughout the Website so that visitors may request verification of the validity of specific web content from any point within the Website.
e. While the Village of McFarland invites comments, suggestions, and or visitor input regarding the content of the municipal Website, any unauthorized attempts to alter and/or upload information on this Website/server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Abuse and Fraud Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.

4. Standards for Posted Content
The Village of McFarland will not post material on its Website that:
a. Contains vulgar, profane, abusive, racist or hateful language or expressions, epithets or slurs, text, photographs or illustrations in poor taste, inflammatory attacks of a personal racial or religious nature.
b. Is defamatory, threatening, disparaging, grossly inflammatory, false, misleading, fraudulent, inaccurate, unfair, contains gross exaggeration or unsubstantiated claims, violates the privacy rights of any third party, is unreasonably harmful or offensive to any individual or community.
c. Violates any right of the Village of McFarland, the State of Wisconsin, or any third-party.
d. Discriminates on the grounds of race, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation or disability, or refers to such matters in any manner prohibited by law. 
e. Violates or inappropriately encourages the violation of any municipal, state, federal or international law, rule, regulation or ordinance.
f. Unfairly interferes with the uninterrupted use of the Website by any third-party.
g. Advertises, promotes or offers to trade any goods or services, except in areas specifically designated for such purpose.
h. Uploads copyrighted or other proprietary material of any kind on the Website without the express permission of the owner of that material.
i. Uses or attempts to use another’s account, password, service or system except as expressly permitted by the Terms of Use.
j. Uploads or transmits viruses or other harmful, disruptive or destructive files.
k. Disrupts, interferes with, or otherwise harms or violates the security of the Website or any services, system resources, accounts, passwords, servers or networks connected to or accessible through the Website.

5. Linking to the Website
Unless you are subsequently advised otherwise by the Village of McFarland, you are granted permission to create hyperlinks to the content on this Website, provided that the link accurately describes the content as it appears on the site.  The Village of McFarland reserves the right, however, to revoke at any time this permission or access to specific links and may discontinue links due to content management practices.  Under no circumstances may you “frame” the Website or any of its content.  Each page within the Website must be displayed in full, without any accompanying frame, border, margin, design, branding, trademark, advertisements or promotional materials not originally displayed on the page within the Website.

6. Links to External Websites
a. Website Terms and Permitted Uses
The Village of McFarland views the use of its Website and the provision of links to external websites as a public service that can benefit its citizens and other site visitors. Overall, the Website is intended to:
(1) provide useful information and reflects a positive and inspiring image of McFarland to citizens, businesses, and visitors;
(2) reflect McFarland’s concern for its citizens, its technical progressiveness, and its support for economic and business development;
(3) enhance and promote the Village, make people aware of available community services, and provide information about the Village’s operations and activities; and 
(4) contain selected links to external websites to the extent the links help support these goals.
b. Guidelines For Site Inclusion
Links on the Website should satisfy a governmental purpose. In particular, the Village will consider providing links to sites that promote and protect the public health, safety, and welfare. The Village reserves the right to determine the number of external links and where they will appear on its Web site, i.e., what page the link appears on and where the link is placed on the page.  The provision of a link to any site is not to be considered an endorsement of the organization or of its site content. Likewise, permission given to include information on the Website from another organization is not an endorsement of said organization.
The following list contains examples of websites that the Village will consider when selecting links and/or allowing information to be placed on its Website:
(1) Other official government websites
(2) Non-partisan websites that encourage the informed and active participation of McFarland residents in any level of government
(3) Announcements and promotional events sponsored by non-profit and area civic organizations
(4) Websites of nonprofit McFarland neighborhood organizations
(5) Websites of nonprofit organizations that help people find housing and encourage home ownership in McFarland and organizations that  provide an index of housing options in McFarland
(6) Area visitor and convention bureau websites and other Web guides that provide an index of area hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and other similar businesses
(7) Internet mapping services
(8) Websites of public or private organizations that have established a partnership with the Village of McFarland government to help it meet its strategic goals
c. Guidelines for Site Exclusion
The Village Website will not provide links to:
(1) Sites promoting illegal activities
(2) Sites for which the focus is to market a particular commercial service or product
(3) Sites containing information that violates any of the Village’s Affirmative Action Policies, Equal Opportunity Policies, Ethics Ordinance, or which may be in violation of any other Village ordinances, or State or Federal laws 
(4) Sites which are not consistent with the purpose of the Village’s Internet Web Site set forth above
(5) Sites that promote candidates for partisan or non-partisan elected offices
(6) Sites containing material which contains vulgar, profane, abusive, racist or hateful language or expressions, epithets or slurs, text, photographs or illustrations in poor taste, inflammatory attacks of a personal, racial or religious nature; or is defamatory, threatening, disparaging, grossly inflammatory, false, misleading, fraudulent, inaccurate, unfair, contains gross exaggeration or unsubstantiated claims, violates the privacy rights of any third party, is unreasonably harmful or offensive to any individual or community.
d. Disclaimer
The Village of McFarland is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site.
e. Decision Making Authority
The Website Coordinator and the Website Technician will make the initial determination on links to and any information to be included on the Website.
f. Appeal Process
An appeal to denial of a link request may be filed in writing with the Communications and Technology Committee within fifteen (15) days of the determination. Appeals will be decided by the Committee within thirty (30) days of the written appeal.  Further appeal from a denial decision by the Communications and Technology Committee may be made to the Village Board. Such appeals must be made in writing within fifteen (15) days of the Committee determination and will be decided by the Village Board within thirty (30) days of the written appeal.
Requests for clarification of and suggestions for changes to this policy should be submitted to the Village Administration Office.  The Website Coordinator has responsibility for changes to and interpretations of these policies. To comment or inquire about their content, please contact the Village Administration Office.
The Village reserves the right to limit the number of websites to which it links and to determine how, where, and for how long links will appear on its Website in order to ensure the usefulness and effectiveness of the Website for its intended purpose.
g. Request for Links
Request forms for permission to link to, include, or update information on www.mcfarland.wi.us are available at the Village Administration Office or may be downloaded from the Website.  The request form should be completed and submitted to the Village Administration Office.

7. Reservations of Facility / Room / Park By the Public
The Website incorporates a centralized system that allows public users to check the availability of municipal facilities and request online reservation of a facility, room, or park.  Priority will be given to the needs of Village departments and government functions in scheduling the use of all Village facilities.  Online requests received from the public for scheduling the use of a facility, room, or park will be referred to the appropriate department and processed according to the internal reservation policies and procedures of that department.  The information about room availability that can be accessed on the Website will not contain any specific information about the purpose for which a room has been reserved, only the fact that it has been previously reserved and is therefore not available.  Please remember that reservations may only requested online and must be confirmed by the department that is responsible for coordinating the use of that Village facility.

 
APPENDIX A
WEBSITE FEATURES

The Website will incorporate the following features.

 Online telephone and E-government directories for all Village departments, offices, and officials
 Information about the structure, responsibility, and members of all municipal boards, committees, and commissions
 Meeting information, including Agendas, Minutes, and Public Hearing notices
 Information about Village departments and their operations
 Monthly calendars (master and departmental)
 Village Code of Ordinances
 Online procedures and forms
 Copies of the Comprehensive Plan, Neighborhood Plans, Official Maps
 Current Village government news and event reminders
 Website policies that affect public users
 Links to approved local websites
 Subscriber lists to receive information by electronic distribution
 
APPENDIX B
DOCUMENTS TO BE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE

The following list of documents is meant to be general in nature.  It is recognized that departments will need to exercise discretion in determining what specific documents should be posted to the Website or whether portions of certain documents may be inappropriate for posting.  It is also likely that the number of available documents may be smaller at the outset and then will be expanded over time.

I. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. Code of Ordinances (when recodification is completed)
B. Property tax information
C. Property assessment information (link to Access Dane)
D. Financial information
1. Operating and Capital Budgets
2. Audit Reports
3. Bond Rating
E. Maps (with disclaimer regarding out-of-date)
1. Official Zoning Map
2. Streets
3. Parks and public facilities
4. Brush chipping zones / yard waste drop-off site
5. Comprehensive Plan
6. TID #3
F. Village issued Invitations to Bid, RFPs, RFQs
G. Employment opportunities
H. “Outlook” newsletter
I. Press Releases / News Briefs
J. Public notices

II. VILLAGE GOVERNMENT MEETING INFORMATION
A. Overview of committee structure and synopsis of committee responsibilities
B. List of committee chairs (contact info) and members
C. Agendas for all public meetings of Village government
D. Minutes (final) for all public meetings of Village government
E. Supporting documents (as appropriate, but not full packets)
 

III. DEPARTMENTAL INFORMATION

A. Annual reports
B. Newsletters
C. Policy statements affecting the public
D. Forms / procedures used by the public
E. Final reports / plans / studies created by staff (not drafts)
F. Reports / plans / studies prepared by consultants
G. Statistical summaries or other information the Department Head deems to be of notable public interest

 
APPENDIX C
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR POSTING CONTENT

The staff members identified below are ultimately responsible for managing Website content for each of the areas listed.  The task of posting and maintaining the actual Website content may be assigned to a Department Web Coordinator(s) to handle in accordance with the internal policies established for that department.

ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT – Clerk / Deputy Treasurer
 Administration Department web pages
 Contact information
 Committee information
 Financial information
 Room scheduling for Municipal Center
 Coordinate posting of all Meeting Agendas and Minutes

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT – Community Development Director
 Community Development Department web pages
 Building permits / inspections
 Community Development Authority
 TID #3
 Economic development opportunities
 Property maintenance requirements
 Erosion control regulations

CABLE 12 – Cable Manager
 Cable 12 web pages
 General information / public policies related to the Website
 Links to other websites
 Government directory
 Electronic distribution lists for citizens
 Community-wide events calendar

E.D. LOCKE PUBLIC LIBRARY – Library Director
 Library web pages
 South Central Library System information / links
 Room scheduling for Library

EMS DEPARTMENT – EMS Director
 EMS Department web pages

FIRE DEPARTMENT – Fire Chief
 Fire Department web pages
 Plan review and inspection information
 Burning permits and regulations
MUNICIPAL COURT – Municipal Judge
 Municipal Court web pages

PARKS AND RECREATION – Director of Public Works (coordinates)
 Information will be provided by multiple departments
 Park reservations handled by Public Works Department

POLICE DEPARTMENT – Police Chief
 Police Department web pages
 Parking regulations and enforcement
 Bicycle licenses

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT – Director of Public Works
 Public Works Department web pages
 Refuse, recycling, yard waste, brush chipping information
 Stormwater regulations

SENIOR OUTREACH SERVICES DEPARTMENT – Senior Outreach Services Director
 Senior Outreach web pages
 Nutrition Site information
 Food Pantry information / links

VILLAGE BOARD – Clerk / Deputy Treasurer
 Village Board web pages

WATER UTILITY / SEWER UTILITY – Director of Public Works
 Water and Sewer Utility web pages