The office has revamped its website to better serve constituents
CHICAGO— Today, the Office of the Comptroller unveiled updates to its website that will make using the office’s services easier for policymakers, taxpayers and those who do business with the State of Illinois.
As the Comptroller strives to make state government more accountable through initiatives like the monthly Debt Transparency Report, it’s important that visitors to the website can easily find this information on how their tax dollars are being spent.
“The Office of the Comptroller is here to help make life easier for constituents and to be as valuable to taxpayers as possible.,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “With the previous website, my office was getting a steady stream of phone calls from people having issues finding what they needed. I knew something needed to change. Taxpayers have a right to easily access the fiscal information my office gathers. And at a time when doing business with the state can be especially stressful, vendors should not have to deal with the added hassle of trying to navigate a confusing website.”
The redesign embodies the Comptroller Office’s key tenants of transparency, fiscal accountability, and independence. It was executed with feedback from frequent users of the website.
A few examples of the changes users will see on the new site:
Cleaner and less busy look and feel.
Searchable: Users can search areas of the site by keywords, so they can more easily and quickly find what they’re looking for.
Recategorized: The site is now organized by service rather than internal departments, so people without agency knowledge can find what they’re looking for.
Drop-down menus: By incorporating drop-down menus into the website, users won’t be required to click as many times to get to where they need to go.
Find a Report: Constituents are now able to find reports on one comprehensive page.
Submit a Report: Agencies can now submit all reports from one standard landing page.
“This is just the first of many technology upgrades my administration intends to make,” Comptroller Mendoza said. “As Chicago City Clerk, I revolutionized the office, transforming an archaic, inefficient City sticker purchasing system into an award-winning model in government efficiency. I intend to bring the same type of forward-thinking technology innovation to the Comptroller’s Office.”
The bulk of the redesign was done by existing staff. The office worked with a web development firm to add some new features. The total cost for that work will be less than $10,000. Payments to the firm are coming out of an administrative fund appropriated for office operations. Money from that fund cannot be spent on the General Funds bill backlog.
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You can download the PDF version of this release here.
