nj web content requirements
DESCRIPTION
On January 5, 2012, Governor Christie signed a law requiring local authorities, boards and commissions to publish specific information on the web. It is intended to promote transparency and to provide citizens with easy access to government information. The law applies to soil conservation districts, workforce investment boards, county park commissions, joint insurance funds, fire districts, regional health commissions, any authority subject to Chapter 5A of Title 40A, and any environmental authority, board or commission “authorized by law to provide water, sewer, or other utility services, or to engage in the zoning of facilities for, or the planning for, the provision of such services”. Most information is due on the web by February 1, 2013. This is an overview of what's required and Morris County's recommendations for its affected agencies.TRANSCRIPT
NJ Web Content Requirements
A3908 Mandates
Carol A Spencer October 11, 2012Digital & Social Media Manager Morris County Office of Public Information
Today, we’ll discuss Applicability
Compliance Deadlines
Content Requirements
Information Architecture
Web Content Formats
Search
Q & A
Applicability Soil Conservation Districts
Workforce Investment Boards
County Park Commissions
Joint Insurance Funds
Fire Districts
Regional Health Commissions
Authorities Subject to the provisions of chapter 5A of NJSA
Title 40A
Municipal Zone Development Corporations
Applicability Any “environmental authority, board or
commission […] owning real property assets or providing services in more than one county, including but not limited to, those subject to oversight pursuant to the “Local Authorities Fiscal Control Law” or appointed pursuant to R.S. 40: 62-109 regarding joint water commissions.”
This includes any “authority, board, commission, or other public body authorized by law to provide water, sewer, or other utility service, or to engage in the zoning of facilities for, or the planning for, the provision of such services.
Morris County Applicability Morris County Soil Conservation
District
Workforce Investment Board
Morris County Park Commission
Authorities Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA)
Improvement Authority
Morris County Housing Authority
Planning Board
Compliance Deadlines Act was signed January 5, 2012
Requires each entity to post certain information on its website
Sets two deadlines Effective date of the Act: Feb 1, 2013
Fiscal year following Feb 1, 2013 July 1 – June 30 fiscal year: 7/1/2013
Jan 1 – December 31 fiscal year: 1/1/2014
Increasing content requirements over time
Content Requirements Mission and Responsibilities
Budgets
CAFR: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report
Audits
Rules, regulations and official policy statements deemed relevant to the interests of county residents
Meeting Notices & Agendas
Board & Committee minutes, including resolutions
Contact information
List of those paid $17,500 or more
Mission & Responsibilities Location: “About Us” section
Due: February 1, 2013
Financials: Budgets, Audits Location: a “Financial” subsection
of “About Us”
Due: February 1, 2013 Initial requirement for budgets / CAFR /
audits is current adopted and prior year
For next fiscal year, 3 consecutive years budgets / CAFR / audits are required
Requirement for CAFR “or other similar financial information” Contact your financial people for an
opinion about content needed to meet this requirement
Financials: Budgets, Audits
Rules, Regulations, Policies Location: “About Us” section unless
this is a significant amount of information
Due: February 1, 2013
Rules, regulations and official policy statements deemed relevant by the Board to the interests of affected residents This can’t be “nothing”…
Examples: application, use, eligibility policies
Rules, Regulations, Policies
Meeting Notices / Agendas Location: “About Us” or “Public
Meetings” section
Due: February 1, 2013
Decide if you want to keep agendas live after minutes are adopted. No requirement to keep past agendas
Disk storage space issue
Notice requirement is time, date, location and agenda Ask your legal counsel about actual
notice
Meeting Notices / Agendas
Minutes Location: “About Us” or “Public Meetings”
section
Due: February 1, 2013 Initial requirement is current fiscal year
For next fiscal year, 3 consecutive years
Minutes from official board meetings
Minutes from board committee meetings
If Board meeting minutes include committee minutes, the webpage should so indicate
Minutes must include verbiage of any adopted resolutions
Minutes
Contact Information Location: “Contact Us”
Contact Us typically includes physical address and GPS, mailing address, general email, phone, fax, standard hours of operation
Should also include a feedback form
Could include links to staff list and directions
Location: “Staff” Name, mail & email address, phone number of
every person “with day to day supervision or management over some or all of the operations”
Due: February 1, 2013
Contact Us
Staff
The $17.5 List Location: a “Financial” subsection of
“About Us” List of “attorneys, advisors, consultants,
and any other person, firm, business, partnership, corporation, or other organization which received any remuneration of $17,500 or more during the preceding fiscal year for any service whatsoever rendered” to the agency
Due: February 1, 2013
Information Architecture Web Standards
Consistent placement of information
Makes information easy to find
Enhanced user experience
“Don’t Make Me Think”
Transparency
Cost-effective design
Public Expectation About Us
Who you are What you do Goals & Objectives
Contact Us How do I reach you Phone, Email, Auto,
Public Transportation,Mail, Packages
Public Meetings When, where Discussion items What happened My input
Web Content Formats Web documents must be
handicapped accessible
Do not use: MS Word documents
(doc/docx)
Scanned documents
Image format documents(jpg, tif, png)
Use these: PDFs created from other originals, or HTML Create a PDF using the full
version of Adobe Acrobat or an equivalent program.
About Accessibility Federal government mandates
Section 508 compliant handicapped accessibility on all its websites.
USDOJ is considering a similar mandate for state and local government websites.
Section 508 requires text alternatives to all graphics. Scanned PDFs are typically images and are thus
not handicapped accessible.
About Accessibility Adobe Acrobat includes a “read out loud”
feature.
Handling Signatures Documents on the web are not official copies
Signatures can be replaced in several ways (Original Signed)
/s/ name
Create a graphic of the signature. Add to original prior to creating PDF. (not highly recommended)
Replace signature in original; then create PDF
Secure PDF prior to publishingif adding a graphic signature
Search 20% to 25% of web visitors use search to
find the page or document they want
Once they reach the document, they again use search to save time
For long documents, search capability is a must. Minutes, audits,bill lists are very long documents.
Images are not searchable, documents scanned to an image format are not searchable
Image formatted documents frustrate visitors and defeat the purpose of transparency
In Summary A3908 takes effect February 1, 2013
Specific information is required on your websites
If Morris County OPI maintains your website: Provide this information before December 1
Provide it in PDF format that is searchable, accessible
We will create PDFs if you provide us the original
If Morris County OPI does not maintain your site: Remember Information Architecture principles
Comply with Section 508 Accessibility guidelines
Use the checklist or email us if you have questions
NJ Web Content Requirements
Questions?