PLAINSBORO: Township launches new website

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   PLAINSBORO — For Plainsboro residents, communication with their township is about to get a whole lot better, thanks to a new and improved township website.
   The revamped website was launched on May 4 and will display more easily accessible information, allow users to conduct business online and expand interaction between the township and its citizens and businesses.
   ”We recognized the previous website had grown stale and needed to be improved,” said Township Administrator Bob Sheehan. “We also came to recognize the way the community does business with the township has evolved to the point where we needed to see the website less as an informational source and more as a platform for doing business with the economy.”
   Users can now make various payments, complete and submit forms, register for programs and make service requests – all with a click of a mouse. Mr. Sheehan said the site is designed to be clear and better guide user on where they need to go to accomplish certain tasks and whom they might need to contact.
   The new site not only offers a quick way to pay taxes, but it also provides information during times of emergency. Like many towns, Plainsboro has implemented various methods of electronic notification like Facebook and Twitter to notify citizens during these times.
   After registering on the website, residents will be able to get emergency information through text messages, e-mails or by phone. Registered users also have the option to choose from other information they would like to receive, whether it is tax payment reminders, public events or road closings.
   Updating the web site has been no simple and quick task. Part of last year, Plainsboro established an internal working group that came up with recommendations on the kind of information and features users would find helpful last year. This year it has been working on the design and format.
   Although the website is a far cry from where it stood previously, the township is still looking at ways to improve it in the future. Mr. Sheehan said they are particularly looking to implement changing images on the homepage.
   The address of the new website is www.plainsboronj.com.