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The city of Smithville’s ability to post more documents on its Web site, such as public meeting minutes and bid notices, likely won’t happen anytime soon. Nor will the city soon have the ability to notify residents of time-sensitive information by e-mail.

Board of Aldermen members voted down a city staff recommendation to upgrade the city’s Web site 5-1 during a Nov. 3 meeting. The proposal was tied to an annual cost increase of $180 plus $70 an hour for technical support to $2,400.

Tower Innovations, which currently provides web hosting services and technical support to the city, would have provided the upgrades.

Board members who voted against the recommendation questioned whether the cost increase was necessary.

“This looks to me like we’re paying a couple thousand more for a little additional storage space,” alderman Jake Hild said.

Alderman Mark Krokstrom said the site was already functional enough.

Alderman Bob Foreman said he’d like to see the city put the upgrades out for bid so that the city would know whether Tower Innovations was the best deal.

Aldermen Hild, Krokstrom, Foreman, Carol Shaffer and Adam Naber voted against the proposal. Alderman Brian Fullmer voted in favor of the upgrade.

Fullmer said he considered the Tower prices to be fair.

The proposed upgrades included adding an archive center, emergency alerts, e-notifications, form development, calendar of events, bid posting and a news center on the site.

City administrator Gerry Vernon wrote in his recommendation to the board that “these enhancements will make the site more dynamic, more easily updated and provide information on a timelier basis.”

When the board voted on the proposal on first reading during an Oct. 20 meeting, all board members aside from Krokstrom voted in favor of the proposal.

The Nov. 3 vote was a second reading vote, making the rejection of the proposal the final decision.

Also during the Oct. 20 meeting, the board decided against a proposal to begin communicating with residents through social media Web sites including Facebook and Twitter.

Smithville Editor Nancy Hull Rigdon can be reached at 532-4444 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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