The City of Pocatello will have a new look online beginning September 10, 2015. This afternoon, users will be greeted by a cleaner, more up-to-date interface. Chris Sorensen, Chief Information Officer for the City of Pocatello, says coordinating the more than 20 City departments into an easy-to-use website was his team’s main concern. “The first thing that people will notice is the navigation bar at the top of the page. This will take people to the department or service they are looking for,” Sorensen said. “As you scroll down the page you can find City related news, public notices, and buttons that will take you to some of our most commonly requested items like meeting agendas, utility bill pay, and recreation.” The website’s layout was last updated back in 2009. Since that time, more and more people are accessing the internet through mobile devices like smart phones and tablets. “The old website was not mobile-friendly. By utilizing responsive web design, this new site looks great and operates well on screens of all sizes,” said Sorensen. Ease of use for City employees was also on Sorensen’s mind. “Our old site was very cumbersome and labor intensive to update. By switching to a content management system we are able to update the site much quicker and in turn get information out to the public faster,” Sorensen said. With the new site also comes a shift for the City’s Human Resources Department. Paper applications will soon be a thing of the past as the City will now utilize an online application process. “Handling applications online is easier both on the applicant and City employees,” says Kim Bristow, HR Consultant for the City of Pocatello. “Applicants won’t be hand delivering their applications anymore and that will help make us more efficient in processing them. The switch will also make it easier to fulfill our mandatory federal reporting requirements.” The City is also asking for comment on the new website. Users can go to pocatello.us and fill out the form to let City officials what they think of the new site and what features they would like to see added in the future.