Oregon deals a great deal with tourism. The major markets the tourism advertising and website concentrates on is Rockford, Western Suburbs and Milwaukee. However, the city has learned that their website is out of date.
City Manager Darin DeHaan said people have told him how difficult it is to find information on the website. DeHaan asked the council to approve an agreement for a $100,000 grant. This would be used to update the website and the city’s portion of the grant is $20,000. The company A5 from Chicago would be doing the work for three years.
Council Member Melanie Cozzi agreed the website is out of date, but she questioned the effectiveness of $20,000. She felt it was a short-term fix.
DeHaan said he did not have the staff to concentrate on the website to make improvements. Cozzi said the city could use the $20,000 to hire someone for the website.
A5 would create the new website; the city would have a 12-member steering committee and be presented options. The city reaches to Rockford, Western Suburbs and Milwaukee. The proposal barely passed on a 3-2 vote.
