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Policies

Local Government Website Update Policy

1 Purpose

This policy establishes the requirements and procedures for updates and maintenance of websites under the jurisdiction of local government agencies. It ensures these websites are effective, accessible, and compliant with required standards.

2 Scope

This policy applies to all Indiana political subdivisions as defined in IC 36-1-2-13 seeking to host and maintain their websites under the suite of IN.gov services.

3 Policies

3.1 Eligibility

  • Agencies must be recognized as an Indiana political subdivision as defined in IN 36-1-2-13.
  • Agencies must apply for an IN.gov subdomain and undergo a vetting process to ensure eligibility.

3.2 Content Management System (CMS) Training

  • Agencies are required to have staff trained in the operation of the CMS to ensure independent management and updating of their website content.

3.3 Accessibility Standards

  • Websites must adhere to established accessibility standards to ensure usability for individuals with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments.
  • Agencies will be provided with and trained in the use of accessibility tools to maintain compliance.

3.4 Regular Content Updates

  • Agencies must commit to regularly updating their website to keep the content current and relevant, enhancing user engagement and ensuring the website's value as a resource.

3.5 Auditing Unresponsive Locals in Project Process

  • No Project ID (PID): Audit process duration is 3 months.
    • Follow-up every two weeks for 1 month.
    • Monthly follow-up for two months, then closure.
  • With PID: Audit process duration is 4 months.
    • Follow-up every two weeks for 2 months.
    • Monthly follow-up for two months, then closure.

3.6 Usage Auditing

3.6.1 Initial Warning
  • Agencies will be notified after three months of inactivity (no web content updates or CMS logins) as a reminder to maintain regular updates.
3.6.2 Unpublishing
  • Websites will be unpublished after six months of continued inactivity, with agencies notified accordingly.
3.6.3 Republishing
  • Unpublished websites can be republished upon request within the quarter following the unpublishing, provided the agency commits to resuming regular updates.
3.6.4 Decommissioning
  • Websites not requested for republishing within the specified timeframe will be permanently decommissioned.
3.6.5 Compliance

Failure to comply with this policy can result in unpublishing or decommissioning of the agency’s website. It is each agency's responsibility to adhere to these guidelines to ensure their website remains an active and compliant digital resource.

4 Website Package Details

Agencies subscribed to the website services under the IN.gov subdomain are offered different service packages—Standard, Advanced, and Elite—with specified limits and features as outlined below. Packages incurring a cost will be billed annually. Details regarding the website engagement will be defined in a Statement of Work or Task Order and agreed to by all parties.

  • Standard Package:
    • Cost: FREE
    • Support Requests: Up to 4 per month
    • Online & Group Training: Included
    • Migrated Pages: Up to 100 pages
    • Users: Up to 10
    • Payment Processing: Included
    • Web Forms: Up to 4 per year
    • IN.gov Calendar Access: Included
  • Advanced Package:
    • Cost: $250 per month (billed annually)
    • Support Requests: Up to 10 per month
    • Online & Group Training: Included
    • Migrated Pages: Up to 250 pages
    • Users: Up to 25
    • Payment Processing: Included
    • Web Forms: Up to 10 per year
    • IN.gov Calendar Access: Included
    • Form Builder Access: Included
  • Elite Package:
    • Cost: $500 per month (billed annually)
    • Support Requests: Up to 20 per month
    • Online & Group Training: Included
    • Migrated Pages: Up to 1000 pages
    • Users: Up to 50
    • Payment Processing: Included
    • Web Forms: Up to 20 per year
    • IN.gov Calendar Access: Included

5 Usage Policy

5.1 Over Usage Charges and Package Upgrades

5.1.1 Migrated Pages
  • Additional pages beyond the package limits can be migrated on a one-time basis, billed at the contracted hourly rate.
  • Agencies requiring increases in support requests, users, or web forms beyond those specified in their current package will need to upgrade to the next package tier.
5.1.2 Support Requests, Users, and Web Forms

5.1.3 Monitoring and Enforcement:

  • Usage of all services (support requests, users, web forms) will be monitored on a monthly basis.
  • If an agency exceeds its package's allocation in any category during a given month, it will receive a notification detailing the over usage and the necessary steps to upgrade the package, if continued over usage is anticipated.
  • Failure to comply with the usage limits without proper upgrade will result in suspension of the overused services until the beginning of the next billing cycle or until the package is upgraded.

5.2 Compliance

Non-compliance with the over usage policy can result in temporary restrictions on service access and functionality. Agencies are encouraged to monitor their usage closely to ensure they are operating within the limits of their selected service package.

6 Amendments

This policy may be amended at any time to reflect changes in legal, technological, or operational requirements.