Cybernautic Web Design chosen to design new Village website

Treatment Plant Operator hired

By ARIANA R. CHERRY
Staff Writer

The Village of Arthur held its regular board meeting on Monday, March 1, 2021. A total of $31,501.41 expenditures was reported by Treasurer, Mike Hilgenberg. One of the larger expenditures included water and sewer work which was done in the amount of $16,044.

Trustee Matt Bernius reported that there had been some complaints lately about the road east of C.H.I. He is currently looking into some grants from IDOT to hopefully make repairs to it.

The village made its last request for a loan disbursement from the IEPA for the sanitary sewer lining project in the amount of $4,412.89. In a couple months, there will be a loan repayment schedule put together. Payments will be semi-annual.

Simply Arthur requested temporary use of the community building on the first Wednesday of each month for as long as they need it during the COVID19 pandemic. Using the community building will make it easier for social distancing during meetings.

A new website design proposal from Cybernautic Web Design was brought to the table in the amount of $12,300 with up to $230 a month in recurring expenses. Simply Arthur has used Cybernautic Web Design for their web design services as well. There was some discussion on whether to add a widget that helps those with certain disabilities (such as those who are deaf) navigate the website which would add an extra $50 per month. Christy Miller had noted that there were already apps and capabilities on most electronic devices which assisted those who were deaf or disabled. Village Attorney Kenny Crossman would check to make sure the village wouldn’t endure any lawsuits should they decide not to have the special widget on the new website.

There was also some discussion on the costs of the website and if it was worth the value of what they were getting. Cybernautic did offer websites that had “basic cookie-cutter” templates but they wouldn’t offer the customized items that Arthur needed. After having some experience with purchasing services to build the website for Simply Arthur, Christy Miller noted that basic websites usually start out around $7,000. The village website needs special capabilities such as the ability to pay water bills and to post special information from community organizations, etc. Miller also stated that Cybernautic made it easy to post necessary website updates, which was included in the ongoing monthly costs. After a bit more discussion, the board made a motion to go with Cybernautic Web Design and its proposal for the amount of $12,300 with no more than $230/month in recurring services.

In a special closed session of the board, a new hire was made for the position of Treatment Plant Operator, but the name is being withheld for now. An announcement will be made in the coming weeks.