"We want to keep up with the technology and ... everybody's going to smartphone apps," Dyer Town Manager Tom DeGiulio said. "It's just time to freshen it up, and I think make it more usable for residents. That's what I hope to see out of it."
The town's current website is about 5 years old, said Frank Jachim, the town's information technology consultant.
Though the website's address will remain the same — www.townofdyer.com — Jachim said residents can expect a more modern site.
The new website also will be more responsive, making it accessible across devices, including desktops, smart phones and tablets.
The biggest focus, Jachim said, is getting information to residents.
"The goal is to provide a convenient means of connecting our residents and businesses with all the services, resources and key information that the town of Dyer has to offer ... to ensure our residents and businesses are as informed and engaged as possible," Jachim said in an email.
New services will be added to the website, including the ability to receive updates via email for town events, news, notices, projects and meetings, and in the future, online permit applications.
Also bring rolled out is a town app, available on both iPhone and Android, which will allow push notifications to be sent to users who have the app.
The mobile app also will allow residents to submit online service requests when they spot something broken around town that doesn't need an emergency repair, Jachim said.
"Say there's a streetlight out (and) you're near the streetlight, it's able to take that information more seamlessly; location information, interfacing with the camera," Jachim said. "It makes that whole process of submitting that service request a bit more intuitive and seamless."
Jachim hopes the new website and app, which the town has been working on for "quite a while," will be available by the start of 2021.
"We're trying to roll out as much as we can with the initial site, and then we'll be adding stuff as we move forward," Jachim said.
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