Cape Charles Preparing to Launch New Agenda and Meeting Management System

CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Town of Cape Charles is preparing to launch a new digital agenda and meeting management system later this month as staff continue migrating records, configuring workflows and training users on the new platform.

The CivicPlus system is currently scheduled to go live Aug. 25, according to a recent Town administrative report.

Town staff held a migration kickoff meeting July 20 with the CivicPlus project manager to establish a timeline, identify files that will need to be transferred into the new system and discuss training requirements.

Since then, staff have participated in six sessions with CivicPlus representatives as they prepare the system for use by Town Council, staff and members of Cape Charles boards and commissions.

A significant part of the preparation has involved establishing user accounts and determining who will have access to various parts of the system.

Town staff reported spending numerous hours entering usernames and other information for selected employees and department heads, Town Council members and members of most Town boards. Users were assigned to their respective boards and given appropriate security profiles before their accounts were activated.

Those users were then notified by email about the new system.

Staff also have been developing agenda item categories and approval workflows — the processes that determine how items move through the system before appearing on meeting agendas.

Proposed categories and workflows involving Town boards and the Planning Commission were provided to Planning and Zoning staff for review. After receiving approval from P&Z, the information was forwarded to the Town’s CivicPlus project manager.

The Town has also received a link to its new meeting management site. The link was provided to Planning and Zoning staff so employees can begin practicing with the system ahead of the scheduled launch.

Agenda and meeting management software is generally designed to centralize the process of preparing agendas, distributing meeting materials and maintaining public records associated with local government meetings. For residents, such systems can provide a centralized location for finding agendas, supporting documents, minutes and other meeting information once those public-facing features are implemented.

The transition represents another step in Cape Charles’ effort to modernize its administrative and public-information systems.

Civic Center internet upgrade also under review

In a separate technology-related project, the Town is considering upgrading internet service at the Cape Charles Civic Center.

Town staff contacted the municipality’s IT contractor for a recommendation on which Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority service tier would be appropriate for the facility.

The Town is considering replacing the Civic Center’s existing Spectrum internet service with ESVBA service in an effort to improve reliability and consistency.

The internet upgrade could be particularly important as the Town increasingly relies on web-based systems and digital tools for government operations and public meetings.

If the CivicPlus implementation remains on schedule, Cape Charles’ new agenda and meeting management system will go live Aug. 25.

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Wayne Creed

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