Salisbury unveils new website designed to be business, mobile friendly

Salisbury’s newly redesigned website is what its designer calls “business casual,” offering access to important city services and information in an easy to use, more attractive package.

The new website, salisbury.md is designed to be easy to use with handheld devices, which allows better access to residents who may have a smartphone, but not a computer, said Chris McIntosh of SBY Digital.

“We want to make mobile devices a first class citizen,” he said.

Mayor Jake Day, who unveiled the new site along with McIntosh, said being connected to the city via the internet is becoming as important as water and sewer service.

“We’re thinking of ourselves as a connectivity provider,” he said.

READ MORE: National Folk Festival gets local manager for Salisbury

The city first launched a website in 1999, with updates made in 2005 and 2013, but none of the versions worked well with mobile devices, Day said. 

The new site includes most of the old features, including the city budget and meeting agendas and minutes, but it makes it easier to access them.

Residents also will still be able to pay bills online, but now they can set up regular direct debits for things such as water and sewer bills and parking fees. They also will be able to access their account information, including usage and payments going back to the 1990s.

The new site also includes features that allow residents to submit their ideas directly to the mayor or file a Freedom of Information request.

The public can also click on videos, read the latest news releases or follow "Mayor Day Tweets."

Overall, Day said, the redesign allows better access to everything happening in Salisbury.

“This is critical to communicate with the public,” he said.

Twitter: @LizHolland5