SECTION 462 -- COUNTY WEBSITE POLICY AND GUIDELINES
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to establish a set of County guidelines for the development and control of the Santa Cruz County website.
Anyone with internet access may access the site by using either of the following Internet addresses: www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us or www.santacruzcounty.us .
2. SCOPE
This policy applies to all County Departments and other related entities who maintain homepages and/or publish information on the County Website.
3. POLICY
a. Approach
The centralized County website ensures that uniform, consitent, clear and useful information is provided to the general public who has access to the internet. Having a uniform look and feel makes it easier for the public to identify the site.
b. Duties and Responsibilities
Responsibilities for the development and maintenance of the County's website will be shared by the Information Services Department (ISD), the County Administrative Office (CAO), and the various County Departments that desire to use the website for public access. County Departments and the CAO will be responsible for the accuracy of the content of their pages.
The Information Services Department (ISD) will be solely responsible for the following:
i. Acting as the administrator for the County's website.
ii. Providing a County Home Page with links to County Departments and appropriate non-County sites.
iii. Providing training and page templates to County Departments for the development and maintenance of web pages. ISD will work with County Departments to design their pages. Content can be posted by the custodian Department or by ISD.
iv. Ensuring new home pages and content format adheres to this policy.
v. ISD is not responsible for the content itself nor policing its validity.
The CAO will be responsible for the following:
i. Approving links to external websites.
ii. Reviewing/approving proposed County homepage content (to ensure standard and consistent content).
iii. Approving any deviations from, or exception to, these website guidelines.
County Departments will be responsible for the following:
i. Using the standard page templates and these guidelines in developing website pages of content.
ii. Ensuring that Department Head approval has been obtained for all proposed website designs.
iii. Designating a website coordinator, who will be responsible for departmental training and communications, and ensuring that departmental information is kept updated and current. The website coordinator may also be responsible for posting content.
c. Use of Disclaimer
A standard disclaimer should be included stating that all website information is intended to be accurate and current, but verification with proper department personnel should be accomplished prior to any decision making based on Website content. This disclaimer would require review and approval by County Counsel. An example is provided below:
The COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ makes no representations or warrants as to the suitability of this information for your particular purpose, and that to the extent you use or implement the information in your own setting you do so at your own risk. In no event will the COUNTY Of SANTA CRUZ be liable for any damages whatsoever, whether direct, consequential, incidental, special or on claim for attorney fees arising out of the use of or inability to use the information provided herewith.
d. Template
Any County Department may have a Departmental Home PAge and supporting detail pages of information.
However, all Department Home Pages must use the standard template. The standard template provides a consitent look and feel to the County home page and each County Dpeartment page. The template allows end users to navigate easily among pages on the site and to understand where to find relevant data. The link to the County home page provides a view of the template.
To see an example of how Departments use the County template, follow the link below:
http://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/default.aspx?tabid=2114
e. Responsive Web Design
All new webpages and content should follow a responsive web design framework resulting in a mobile friendly design.
f. Compliance with Federal, State and local law
All new content formatting and webpages must comply with applicable Federal, State and Local laws
4. POLICY COMPLIANCE
a. Failure to comply with this policy may result in content and websites being removed from the existing site. New content will not be published if not in compliance with this policy. Failure to comply wwith Section 3 f may result in further penalties and fines.