Thursday, December 20, 2012
Users of the new website being developed for the city of Muskego will have easier access to information, bill paying and filing complaints in early 2013; viewing meetings in real time could come by March
Transparency is something that both residents and city officials have asked for over the years, and now it could come at the click of a mouse. John Wisniewski, IT Director with the city, is one busy guy, as he's had to coordinate the launch of the new site based on recommendations from the Mayor's taskforce on communications, along with his other duties of answering a phone that never stops ringing. However, he was able to sit down with Muskego Patch to give a preview of the features of the new site, and it's admittedly exciting to navigate. Some of the features that users will find especially useful include: Wisniewski said the goal was not only to make information easier to find, but to "engage the public more and make the site more …
Friday, April 13, 2012
Ease of access, transparency cited as reasons to invest in new web design and purchase of new software to publish documents and eventually video related to meetings.
Anyone with complaints about finding information on the city of Muskego website may have their prayers answered by fall 2012. A combined investment of about $39,000 will overhaul the website, seen by many as cumbersome and out of date, as well as incorporate new software that will help provide more online documents and eventually include streaming video of meetings. CivicPlus was recommended for the website redesign. The total cost of the package was $31,850, but the city will realize a $5,000 award from the company. Annual support and maintenance, which will begin in the second year of the contract, is $5,037, and includes a complete website redesign in the fourth year. SIRE document management software will also allow access to meeting …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Task force comes back to finance committee with a recommendation to update the site to be more user-friendly, transparent, and easier for the public to connect with city resources.
If you've been to the city's website recently, you may have left with a cramp in your clicking finger. The site has come under criticism from the people most likely to use it, namely Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti, who said it takes too long to find what you're looking for. The Mayor's Taskforce on Communication was established shortly after Chiaverotti took office, in part to review the site, and came to the Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday to reveal their initial recommendations. Their findings echoed the mayor's concerns. "In surveying staff at the city, we found that 80 percent felt there were significant weaknesses in the website, and many felt there was a general consistency lacking and difficulty in finding content," Cassandra Wurster…
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Citing concerns over a potential loss of life in emergencies, Muskego says its ready to file a claim against Waukesha County — and even go to court — to take over wireless 911 service.
The ongoing battle between Muskego and Waukesha County over who should handle 911 calls from cell phones escalated Tuesday night when aldermen took steps to file a formal claim against the county — a move that could set up a legal battle. People who call 911 from a cell phone in Muskego are currently routed to the Waukesha County Communications Center first, then routed to Muskego police to dispatch responders. The city has maintained these delays could translate into a loss of life. In fact, a resolution passed Tuesday cites an instance from August when a 57-second delay was experienced in such a call. The patient was unresponsive when responders had reached him, and ultimately died. The county has maintained that the response times are …
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Elimination of specialist will make way for Systems Administrator and intern, freeing up IT Director to do the job he says he was hired to do.
John Wisniewski, Director of IT Services for the City, requested a staffing change of the Finance Committee Tuesday night, which would result in the elimination of the Computer Specialist position, and the addition of a Systems Administrator and PC Intern. The salary of the present position was around $60,000, and the administrator's position would result in a salary range of approximately $55,000-$75,000. Wisniewski said that the expanded position would allow him to come out of "the quagmire of operational tasks that has been taking up my time." He explained that the job he was hired to do involved working on policy development, documentation, and disaster recovery testing, which he has not been able to get to. Alderman Dan Soltysiak …
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Each side states its case for handling cellular 911 calls with no progress; FCC will have to be the deciding vote.
The City of Muskego has been eager to take on its own wireless 911 calls placed within the city since the common council gave law enforcement the authority to do so in April of 2011. However, the County has refused to relinquish the cellular access from the towers, stating that its communications center (WCCC) is able to provide quality service to Muskego and the other municipalities in Waukesha County. The difference in opinion has led to somewhat strained relations, and has forced the city to file a complaint with the FCC. Wednesday night's Public Service Committee Meeting brought both sides together to clarify their positions, perhaps to see if there was any way to make progress or come to some agreement. However, it became clear that …
Friday, December 2, 2011
Group met for first time Wednesday night, and looks to set a plan to improve how the city presents itself to businesses, visitors and residents.
Muskego Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti announced at the Nov. 22 Common Council meeting that a task for on communications has been organized. With the city awaiting the findings from a marketing study to determine where and what types of businesses would thrive here, the task force hopes to put a plan together for the city to create a vision plan for the next five years. "We want to look at the city's current vehicles it uses to communicate with residents, including the website, newsletters, notices, the parks and recreation department," explained Tom Reck, who is one of the members on the task force. Navigation of the website, and the presentation of the city's services will be key areas the group will examine to recommend improvements. "We will…
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The debate continues as the city's police chief and IT director respond to Vrakas' comments on what wireless 911 would mean for Muskego
It wasn't likely that the words of County Executive Dan Vrakas regarding cellular 911 service in Muskego would sit well with Muskego Police Chief Paul Geiszler. "At the very least it's misinformation, and that's the kindest word I can use," Geiszler said. The city has filed a formal complaint with the FCC to release access to cell towers, enabling the city to reroute 911 cell calls coming from Muskego to its own dispatch center. Presently these calls go to Waukesha County, and Geiszler has been adamant that as much as 90 seconds are spent in the transfer of these calls back to Muskego. After reading a release from Vrakas, who himself said Muskego did not have all of the information on the matter, Geiszler and IT Director John Wisniewski …
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Director of Emergency Preparedness cites their larger capacity and ability of dispatchers as reason to use WCCC for 911 cell calls, but Chief says his answers don't line up with what he feels is 'hands down better service' within the city.
Richard Tuma, Waukesha County Director of Emergency Preparedness, spoke with Patch prior to the Public Service Committee meeting on Wednesday, and the answers he had in response to our inquiries of why the county was denying Muskego access to reroute cell calls to its own dispatch center were scoffed at by Police Chief Paul Geiszler. "I wouldn't take any creedence in what he is saying," Geiszler said. "I have found his information to be suspect, and I just wouldn't believe what he's telling you." "The County’s 9-1-1 center has a larger capacity to handle calls for service since there are no fewer than 8 employees to answer and process calls for service," Tuma explained. However, John Wisniewski, IT Director pointed out that the ratio of …
Mike Hunt
10:36 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012
Where do you get all the time for that? Get a life jagbag! more ›