For all of those tech-savvy people out there, WestyCOnnect is the perfect fit. It’s an online tool connecting the city of Westminster to its residents.
Through WestyCOnnect, community members can share thoughts and ideas with city council and staff at any time.
The website, www.westyconnect.us, is open to anyone and gives people the opportunity to speak out about city issues and projects.
The site was launched last September and has already been implemented into a community event.
“After the community summit a couple weeks ago, we decided to post all of the questions asked at the summit onto WestyCOnnect,” said Joe Reid, public information officer for the city. “For those who couldn’t make the summit, we still wanted to give them an opportunity to participate and give their input. People can go to the WestyCOnnect until April 2 to add their thoughts and ideas.”
Reid said the main reason for WestyCOnnect is to give residents another tool to stay connected to the city. With so many people using technology as their means for communication, WestyCOnnect was a good fit, he added.
The site is generated through MindMixer, a web-based platform for community engagement. The platform also allows Reid and his team to create polls, surveys, seek ideas and solutions and do budgeting exercises, while keeping control of the content and the scope of the discussion.
Reid said the site is also an opportunity for council to use an additional avenue to engage the community, especially with a demographic they currently don’t reach. He said about 20 percent of users registered are in the age range of 25-34, showing the site is reaching a younger demographic.
“We want to reach as many different demographic categories as possible and WestyCOnnect is a tool to be able to do that,” he said.
People who sign up for WestyCOnnect must create an account with MindMixer and provide information such as name, zip code, age and a valid e-mail address. There is no anonymous participation.