Burton’s new .gov webpage up and running

Burton’s new .gov address. BURTON — After a slow start, Burton’s official .gov website is up and running.

A photo slideshow of Kelly Lake, city hall, Burton Memorial Library and the veteran’s memorial greets site visitors while a small link at the top of the page notes that the site is still under construction.

The home page also boasts an upcoming meetings and events calendar, online bill payments and applications for a fire or dump permit. Using the site, residents can now report an abandoned home over the internet and sign up for a new e-mail newsletter from Burton officials.

Residents can visit the new site at burtonmi.gov.

Web developer Brad Johnson said overall he’s pleased with the new website’s concept and features.

“The events calendar is a favorite of mine. I think it’s good that people are going to be able to see what’s going on in the city at a glance,” Johnson said.

“The city and I have a lot of other ideas on what we’d like to implement.”

Each of the departments could have their own news page to post what’s happening in addition to a general Burton news feed.

Johnson adds an online bidding process and user-friendly video capabilities could be added in the near future.

City administrators won’t completely disable the old website until city of Burton employees and residents alike become more comfortable with the new web address.

Johnson has trained many city hall employees on updating and using the site.

City officials had originally planned a mid-January launch date.

Mayor Paula Zelenko said it took time to gather information from all of the city’s departments to put online, with employees executing their usual jobs in addition to submitting written biographies and crafting answers to frequently asked questions.

“It’s always going to be a work in progress, especially in the first few months,” Zelenko said. “We’re working through it. I hope the public will be patient with us.”