Local news delivered daily to your email inbox. Subscribe for FREE to the rdnewsNOW newsletter.
(Red Deer County)
User-Friendly

Red Deer County launches new website

Nov 10, 2023 | 5:31 PM

Red Deer County has announced the launch of its newly redesigned website, rdcounty.ca.

Focused on providing residents and ratepayers, with quick access to information, County officials say enhanced search functions offer better intuitive navigation. Officials say the website is refreshed with a clean design, and incorporates the County’s visual identity.

“We live in a busy world and residents can expect our new website to be user-friendly and accessible on many devices, with accurate representation of our online services, it’s important to get information in less-clicks,” stated Mayor Jim Wood. “The new site provides convenience and aligns with the County’s commitment in being responsive to business centers and rural areas in Red Deer County.”

Key features of the new website include:

  • Report a Problem button;
  • I Want To…section; and
  • Enhanced interface for seamless browsing.

Created with the user experience in mind, County officials say the new layout makes it easier for residents to submit inquiries to report non-emergency issues. In addition, the recently added “I Want To..” section in the top menu bar, allows the public to find items that are commonly asked of the County, such as applying for permits, paying utility bills, taxes, etc. The premise of this section is to reduce search times and retrieve answers quick.

Also, county events and community services programs, can now be accessed directly on the grey static menu bar. The department of land and economic development features a re-direct to their dedicated website, InvestRDCounty.ca, with all these functions aiming to make it easier to get information, an important step in creating more convenience for the user.

“We’ve been very intentional in the design of the website. The team researched industry best practices and utilized our website analytics to truly understand where we needed to focus our efforts,” explained Simoi Cruickshank, Manager of Corporate Communications. “Now with these standards, the site has the framework and capability to adapt for future functionality, creating flexibility and efficiencies for our residents.”

Next month, Red Deer County will start using Alertable to send out community notifications. Alertable is described as a multi-purpose notification system, that users can download for FREE and personalize notifications by type, severity and choose preferred alerting options like email, phone, website, social media and more. Users also have the option to select notifications for more than one specific location. Stay tuned in December for more information on Alertable.

The website refresh is said to be part of Council’s Strategic Priorities, with this work supporting the operational strategies within Corporate Services and aligning with the goals from the 2021- 2025 strategic plan. Red Deer County Council reviews priorities annually at the strategic plan meeting. Detailed key priorities can be found on page 16 in the Public Budget Document: https://reddeercounty.civicweb.net/document/61725/.

Residents are invited to explore the new website and provide their feedback to comms@rdcounty.ca or call The Red Deer County Centre at 403.350.2150. Responses will be collected by the Corporate Communications department and considered for future on-going website improvements.

Download the rdnewsNOW mobile app on Google Play and the Apple App Store for all the latest updates on this and other stories.