We had a fantastic time at the PSATS Conference this year, and if you were there, you already know: the conversations were real, the challenges were familiar, and the need for better digital tools in local government hasn’t gone away.

So we’re doing something about it for one lucky (or maybe overdue) township.

Here’s the deal: CourseVector is giving away a $700 credit for the cost of hosting alone. That’s $905 in value, available for just $205, about as close to free as it gets.

But here’s the catch: We’re looking for the townships that don’t have it all together and probably don’t realize how much they’re missing.

You know the ones. The township with the bulletin board outside the office that doubles as their “community outreach.” The one where the secretary has been meaning to look into a website for three years. The one where the official “website” is a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated since 2019.

Those are the townships we want to help.

If you work alongside one, live in one, or just know one that’s been dragging its feet on getting a real online presence, this is your chance to give them a nudge, and a website, they can’t ignore.

Why does it matter?

Residents deserve to find meeting minutes, contact information, and local updates without driving to a corkboard. A basic, well-maintained website isn’t a luxury for townships anymore; it’s a baseline expectation. And for the townships that haven’t gotten there yet, the problem usually isn’t money. It’s inertia.

Townships need a website to:

• Be an information hub for residents.
• Alleviate common questions to township staff.
• Make documents and forms easily accessible.
• Help you win grant funding for future projects and infrastructure improvements.
• Promote activities and community withing your township.

And this is just a basic website!

This giveaway is designed to break that inertia. One nomination. One winning township. One less community left behind.

How to nominate:

Fill out the short form below. Tell us which township you’re nominating, why they need this, and what’s been holding them back. We’ll review submissions and select the township where a new website would make the biggest difference.

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I understand that CourseVector will choose a winner at random to be announced in a future newsletter. Winner will be notified via email as well.

Nominations are open to townships and municipalities represented at the 2025 PSATS Conference.

Let’s get them online.

Here’s a rundown of what secure form options we recommend, what we don’t, and why.

Our Top Recommendation: JotForm

For most organizations, JotForm is our go-to recommendation for WordPress forms.

JotForm is a hosted form platform, which means your form data never touches your WordPress server. Submissions are stored and processed on JotForm’s own secure infrastructure, which includes HTTPS encryption in transit, GDPR compliance tools, HIPAA-compliant plans for healthcare-related data, and built-in spam protection. You simply embed the form on your WordPress page using a shortcode or their official plugin. It’s clean, simple, and secure.

JotForm also offers a generous free tier with paid plans available as your needs grow. It’s a mature, well-supported platform that doesn’t require your web team to manage encryption, database security, or plugin updates to keep form data safe. All you have to do is set and remember a strong password.

Best for: Most businesses, nonprofits, and organizations collecting contact info, applications, registrations, or general inquiries.

If You’re on Microsoft 365: Microsoft Forms

If your organization already uses Microsoft 365, you may have a secure form solution sitting right in your existing toolkit in Microsoft Forms.

Microsoft Forms is included with most Microsoft 365 business and enterprise subscriptions. Data collected through Microsoft Forms is stored within your organization’s Microsoft 365 tenant, subject to the same compliance and security controls as your other Microsoft data (including data residency, retention policies, and admin oversight). For organizations already operating within the Microsoft ecosystem, this can be an excellent fit.

The good news for WordPress users: Microsoft Forms can be embedded directly on a WordPress page using an iframe embed code generated from the form itself. It won’t win any design awards, but it’s functional, familiar to your staff, and backed by enterprise-grade infrastructure you’re likely already paying for.

Best for: Organizations already running Microsoft 365 who want to minimize third-party vendor footprint.

What is PII?

If you’re unsure what is considered PII and what is safe to collect and store unencrypted, the short answer is: it varies. You’re subject to the rules of the place the user lives, not your state. So, it’s important to understand basic PII rules for your country or the country in which you’re doing business.

Other Secure Form Options Worth Considering

Depending on your needs, a few other platforms are worth a look:

Typeform — A polished, user-friendly hosted form platform similar to JotForm. Data is stored on Typeform’s servers (not your WordPress site), with HTTPS encryption and GDPR tools built in. The conversational form style can improve completion rates. Embeds easily in WordPress.

Cognito Forms — A solid mid-tier option with strong encryption features, including support for encrypted entries. HIPAA-compliant plans are available. Embeds in WordPress via iframe or their plugin.

Tally — A newer, lightweight option based in Belgium that’s gaining traction. Free tier is generous, data is stored off-site, and it embeds cleanly in WordPress. Worth considering for simpler use cases.

Formstack — An enterprise-grade option with strong compliance credentials (HIPAA, SOC 2). Better suited for larger organizations with more complex data handling requirements.

What We Do NOT Recommend: Gravity Forms (Without Additional Safeguards)

When we build sites, we use Gravity Forms for the contact form. It is one of the most widely used WordPress form plugins.

By default, Gravity Forms stores all form submissions directly in your WordPress database, unencrypted. That means every contact form submission, every application, every message someone sends through your site lives in plaintext in your database. If your WordPress site is ever compromised, whether through a plugin vulnerability, a weak password, a misconfigured server, or any number of common attack vectors, that data is exposed.

For forms collecting anything beyond the most basic, low-sensitivity information, this is not an acceptable risk. There are third-party add-ons that can add encryption to Gravity Forms, but this introduces additional complexity, cost, and maintenance overhead that most site owners aren’t equipped to manage reliably.

Our recommendation is to avoid Gravity Forms for any form that collects personal, financial, health-related, or otherwise sensitive information. The risk simply isn’t worth it when better alternatives exist. It’s safer to keep your sensitive data stored outside of your WordPress installation.

The Bottom Line

When evaluating a form solution for your WordPress site, the key question to ask is: where does the data go, and how is it protected?

Hosted platforms like JotForm, Microsoft Forms, Typeform, and Cognito Forms keep data off your WordPress server entirely, reducing your attack surface and putting data security in the hands of vendors whose core business is exactly that. Solutions that store data directly in your WordPress database put the burden of security squarely on you, and that’s a burden most sites aren’t set up to carry.

When in doubt, reach out to your web team, IT provider, and/or solicitor before collecting sensitive data through any form. A few minutes of due diligence upfront can save significant headaches down the road.

Interactive maps have become a very useful, and most requested, feature on municipal websites. Whether you want to highlight parks, trailheads, local events, zoning districts, road closures, or service locations, a well-organized map helps residents find what they need quickly.

For small municipalities with limited budgets, Google My Maps is a powerful, free tool that allows staff to build custom interactive maps without specialized software or Geographic Information System (GIS) expertise.

This guide walks you through how to plan, create, and embed a Google My Maps project on your municipal website—along with important legal and practical considerations.

Decide What Your Map Should Do

Before building anything, identify the real purpose of the map. Start with three questions:

• Who will use this map? (Residents? Visitors? Contractors? Public works?)
• What do they need to find quickly?
• What will help reduce staff time answering calls or emails?

Common municipal use cases include:

• Park locations and amenities
• Road closures, paving schedules, detours
• Public facilities (borough hall, police, fire, sewer authority, library)
• Yard waste drop-off sites
• Trail systems
• Snow removal zones
• Holiday event maps (parade routes, parking locations)
• Capital project updates

Keep the goal narrow. A single, well-focused map performs better—and is easier to maintain—than an “everything” map that becomes outdated.

Gather Your Data (and Protect Privacy While Doing It)

What you Might Include

Good maps rely on good data. Collect the locations and details you want to display. This may include:

• Addresses
• GPS coordinates
• Hours of operation
• Links to related information
• Photos

What NOT to Include

Avoid placing anything on your public map that could be considered sensitive or private. Examples include:

• Code enforcement complaints
• Neighbor disputes
• Zoning violations tied to a specific address
• Exact home addresses of council members or staff
• Sensitive infrastructure locations (water, electric, emergency systems)

When in doubt, leave it out or ask your solicitor.

Build the Map in Google My Maps

Before you can build a map, your municipality should have a Google account. The account should not belong to any staff or council member. It should belong to the municipality. If a staff member needs to have access to the account for management purposes, they can be made a manager and access can be revoked down the road if both parties part ways.

Google My Maps is separate from Google Maps itself. To start:

1. Add descriptions, links, and photos to each pin.
2. Go to https://www.google.com/mymaps (Make sure you’re logged into the correct Google Account!)
3. Click Create a New Map
4. Name your map and organize items into layers (e.g., Parks, Facilities, Road Work).
5. Add locations by entering addresses or dropping map pins.
6. Customize colors and icons to keep items visually clear.

Pro Tips

Use layers sparingly to avoid overwhelming users.

Keep your icons simple and color-coded by category.

If staff from multiple departments contribute, standardize labels and descriptions.

Make the Map ADA-Friendly

Any embedded tool must be accessible. While Google My Maps is not fully WCAG ADA-compliant, municipalities can take steps to minimize risk:

• Provide all key information in text form on the page as well, not only in the map.
  • Example: Before embedding, add a bullet list of park names and addresses.
• Use clear color contrasts on map icons.
• Avoid relying solely on color to convey meaning.
• Add an “If you need assistance” accessibility statement near the map.

This approach ensures residents using screen readers can still access the information.

Embed the Map on Your Municipal Website

This is an example only. The data on the map is not accurate.

Once your map is ready, you must set the permissions correctly for it to be shared on the site. The map must be visible to: Public or Anyone with the link. Once set, you can gather the code and embed the map via code on your municipal website!

Users can then click the icon in the upper left corner to reveal the legend and interact with your new map.

Placement Matters

Put the map on a page where residents expect it, such as:

• Parks & Recreation
• Public Works
• Trash & Recycling
• Events
• Road Work Updates
• “Interactive Tools” or “Explore the Borough” page

Make sure it sits above the fold on mobile for easy access.

Keep It Updated (Or It Will Work Against You)

The number-one failure point for municipal maps is outdated information. Choose one responsible staff member per department to maintain accuracy.

Tips for consistency:

• Schedule quarterly check-ins.
• Add map updates to your department’s workflow.
• Remove old events or discontinued programs promptly.
• Keep layer names consistent.

A good rule: If your borough wouldn’t post outdated information on Facebook, don’t leave it on your map.

7. Advanced Options (If You Want to Level Up)

For municipalities with extra capacity, like a trusted web partner, Google My Maps can do more:

• Import spreadsheets to bulk-add locations.
• Use icons to show project stages (planned, in progress, completed).
• Link map layers from other departments (Public Works, Parks, Police).
• Create seasonal maps, like leaf collection zones or holiday parking.
• Embed forms that let residents report potholes, streetlight outages, or park issues.

Just make sure any form complies with your data archiving and Right-to-Know rules.

Conclusion

Google My Maps gives municipalities a low-cost, resident-friendly way to present useful information visually. With careful planning, privacy awareness, and ongoing updates, you can build a tool that supports residents, reduces staff workload, and elevates the usefulness of your website—without needing expensive GIS software.

A is for Accessibility

Web accessibility ensures that all visitors, even those with vision, hearing, mobility, or cognitive differences, can use your site. This isn’t just about meeting legal requirements; it’s about creating a welcoming, inclusive experience for everyone who visits.

B is for Beyond the Basics

Automated tools like UserWay help identify issues, but they’re only the starting point. That’s why our team goes beyond the basics. We review each scan manually, remediate the errors, and double-check each site against Lighthouse helping to get our clients closer to compliance.

C is for Compliance & Confidence

Being as close to compliance as possible* is important, but maintaining that status it is where confidence comes in. With ongoing monitoring and expert support, your organization can be confident your website remains more accessible, user-friendly, and aligned with ADA standards.

Why It Matters

An accessible website isn’t just the right thing to do, it reduces legal risk, improves user experience, and opens your services to a wider audience. It also shows your commitment to inclusivity, which builds trust with your community. Plus, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) went into effect June 24, 2024. This means that all websites should be working towards WCAG 2.1 compliance as soon as possible. 

Still have Questions?

The ADA has a starter guide for State and Local Governments. If you have questions about where to start to get closer to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II Web and Mobile Application Accessibility Rule, this is a great place to start.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

ADA compliance can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to tackle it alone. Our team combines the best scanning tools with hands-on expertise to make sure your site stays compliant.

Contact us today for an accessibility review and see where your website stands.

*CourseVector cannot guarantee 100% compliance, especially when our clients have access to their sites. We do our best to remediate as many compliance issues as possible.

Q&A with CourseVector

This is a question we hear a lot at CourseVector, especially from municipal clients, service businesses, and organizations that want to be more accessible without accidentally hurting SEO or creating compliance problems.

There are a ton of translation options available for your WordPress website. But which one you choose matters a lot. Let’s walk through what actually matters before you install anything.

The real question isn’t “Do I need a translation plugin?” It’s: Do I need automatic translation… or real multilingual pages? Those are two very different goals.

Option 1: Automatic translation (quick and low effort)

A common tool for this is GTranslate. This plugin produces live, on-the-fly visitor-side translation.

This approach works like this:

• Your site stays in one language
• The plugin dynamically translates the content when a visitor switches languages
• You do not create separate pages for each language

People might choose GTranslate because it’s fast to launch with minimal setup. The cost for this plugin is low and there is no content duplication or separate page management.

The important limitation (especially for SEO)

With most automatic-translation setups:

• Google does not treat each language as its own fully optimized page
• You usually are not ranking in other languages
• Translations are machine-generated and not reviewed

This may not be a problem if you’re a PA municipality that is not trying to rank your website in another language. This option is also good for municipalities, commercial clients, and organizations whose visitors need quick readability, whereby removing language friction allows access to important information as long as SEO is not the main goal for translation.

Option 2: True multilingual content (SEO-ready)

If you actually want:

• separate language versions of pages
• proper indexing by search engines
• full control over translated text

then you are looking at a multilingual system such as OnTheGoSystems’s WPML plugin. We’ve used the WPML tool on several of our clients’ sites.

The WPML plugin creates real translated pages with unique URLs for each page. WPML does offer AI / machine translation now, but this should not be thought of as an “automatic translation”. It automatically generates the translation inside your editor, not for the visitor. This means with WPML the translation is created for you, you review / edit it, and then you publish the page.

Why this matters for SEO

With a full multilingual setup:

• each language version can be indexed
• proper language signals (hreflang, page structure, URLs) are created
• translations can be professionally written instead of machine-generated

This is the only realistic path if your goal is to show up in search results for users who search in another language.

One complaint we receive about this plugin is that our clients don’t understand their pricing. WPML uses credits for translation. Each package comes with credits. There are also pay-as-you-go options. Because you’re translating and then publishing a page, you’re paying for the translation, with your purchased credits, one time. You are not paying to translate a page every time a visitor wishes to see it in the new language. If WPML has already translated a sentence before, it can reuse that translation on other pages. This means you don’t spend credits translating the same text again.

The part most sites overlook: accessibility and accuracy

For our government and compliance-focused clients, this is an important nuance.

Automatic translation does not guarantee accessibility, does not guarantee plain-language accuracy, can misinterpret legal, policy, or public-service content.

If the content involves public notices, legal language, instructions for residents, or emergency information that must be translated machine translation should be treated as a convenience tool and not an authoritative version.

TIP: It’s important to note that WPML and GTranslate do not translate PDFs or other documents at the time of this writing. If you must post documents in another language, the translation responsibility is yours.

This is especially important given your broader accessibility and risk-management goals that we already build into sites. It’s always a good idea to check with your solicitor if you have questions.

A simple decision guide

Here’s how we normally decide with clients:

Use GTranslate-style automatic translation if:

• You only need to help visitors read the site
• You do not need multilingual SEO
• You want fast deployment and minimal maintenance

Use WPML (true multilingual structure) if:

• You want to rank in multiple languages
• You need accurate, reviewed translations
• You need structured language pages for long-term growth

Other Translation Plugins

Visit the plugin sites for more details on how translations work, pricing, and what it means to be “editable”.

Bottom Line for SEO

Installing a translation plugin by itself does not:

• expand your keyword footprint
• improve international visibility
• create language-specific search signals

Only properly structured multilingual pages do.

If SEO matters, the plugin is only the infrastructure. Real SEO work still matters. Things like translation quality, page structure, internal linking, and metadata per language will make or break your translated pages’ indexing power.

Our practical recommendation

If you’re simply trying to make your site easier for non-English visitors to use start with an automatic translation solution.

If your organization wants multilingual reach, discoverability, and long-term search performance plan for a true multilingual build using a structured translation system.

If you’re not sure which path makes sense for your site, we can review your goals and tell you whether a simple translation plugin is enough or whether a multilingual setup is actually worth the investment.

“You just do not know how much we appreciate you all for being our IT website experts and protecting us from adding yet another thing to our plate. Thank you always so much for allowing us to delegate these particular tasks to you.”

We received this comment from a client recently, and it stuck with us. It’s not because it was flattering, but because it perfectly captured a reality we see every day. Most organizations don’t want to become website experts. They just want their website to work, stay secure, remain compliant, and not create problems they have to solve after hours (or for hours).

Yet many organizations still start down the DIY path, assuming it will save money or give them more control. What often gets overlooked is the true cost of managing a website when it becomes “just one more thing” on an already crowded to-do list.

The Hidden Work and Cost Behind “Just Updating the Website”

On the surface, DIY website platforms promise simplicity. Drag-and-drop builders, templates, plugins, and auto-updates all sound manageable, until you’re the one responsible when something breaks.

Managing a website today involves far more than changing text or uploading a photo. Behind the scenes, there are ongoing responsibilities that don’t go away just because the site is live:

• Software updates that can conflict with themes or plugins
• Security patches and malware monitoring
• Accessibility requirements that are becoming legal obligations
• Backup systems and recovery plans
• Performance issues that affect user experience and SEO
• Browser, device, and screen-size compatibility
• Compliance considerations for forms, documents, and third-party tools

Each of these tasks may seem small on its own. Together, they create a constant background workload. It’s not a matter of if something goes wrong anymore, it’s when.

Updates can cause a site to crash. Bots attack slowing your site speed to a crawl. Malware infects the site and thus the users of the site. Even if website uptime is not critical, the cost to repair one of these issues can easily exceed the cost to host a website. Having a team of experts on your side can alleviate stress, time, and cost when things go wrong.

Time Is a Cost, Even When You Don’t See It on an Invoice

One of the biggest misconceptions about DIY websites is that the cost is limited to the platform or hosting fee. What’s harder to measure is the time spent researching issues, troubleshooting errors, and worrying about whether something was missed.

That time usually comes from somewhere else:

• After hours
• During lunch breaks
• In between meetings
• During moments meant for higher-priority work

For municipalities, nonprofits, and small organizations especially, staff members are often already stretched thin. Adding website management to the mix doesn’t replace other responsibilities, it competes with them.

Over time, that tradeoff becomes expensive in ways that don’t show up in a budget line item.

The Risk of “Good Enough” Websites

Another hidden cost of DIY websites is risk. This isn’t a dramatic, worst-case-scenario risk. Rather, it’s a gradual exposure that builds quietly.

Examples we see often:

• Accessibility issues that go unnoticed until a complaint is filed
• Outdated plugins that introduce vulnerabilities
• Broken forms that stop collecting submissions
• Incorrect or outdated information lingering on the site because no one caught it
• Inconsistent updates that erode trust with users

Most of these issues don’t cause immediate alarms. They just sit there, waiting for the moment when someone finally notices.

What You’re Actually Paying for With a Team of Experts

When clients work with a dedicated website team, they’re not just paying for technical skills. They’re paying for peace of mind and predictability.

That includes:

• Having people who monitor issues before they become problems
• Knowing updates are tested, not just applied
• Understanding compliance requirements without having to research them
• Having a clear process for fixes, changes, and questions
• Being able to delegate confidently instead of guessing

In other words, you’re not outsourcing tasks; you’re offloading responsibility.

Delegation Is Not Giving Up Control

One concern we sometimes hear is that bringing in experts means losing control over the website. In practice, the opposite is usually true.

When responsibilities are clearly defined:

• Clients make decisions without having to manage execution
• Updates happen faster because there’s a process
• Risks are identified early instead of reactively
• Internal staff can focus on what they were hired to do

Delegation works best when the people you’re delegating to understand your goals, constraints, and environment. That’s why long-term website partnerships tend to be more effective than one-off builds. These long-term relationships also allow us to ease the mental load of our clients. When clients tell us they appreciate not having to think about their website anymore, what they’re really saying is that they’ve regained bandwidth.

Choosing Support Is a Strategic Decision

Having experts “at the ready” isn’t about avoiding responsibility. It’s about making a strategic decision to protect your time, your organization, and your priorities. A website should support your work not compete with it.

If managing your site feels like another item that keeps creeping higher on your plate, it may be worth stepping back and asking whether DIY is actually saving you anything at all. Sometimes, the most cost-effective choice is the one that lets you stop thinking about it entirely.

When local governments apply for grants, most of the focus tends to be on the project itself. Things like the scope, budget, and anticipated community impact are certainly important. But there’s another factor that can quietly influence how your application is perceived: your municipality’s or nonprofit’s website.

A modern, secure, and accessible website is more than just a public information hub. It’s a visible sign of your community’s or organization’s readiness to manage funds, deliver services, and communicate effectively. No grant reviewer wants a recipient to squander funds. Therefore reviewers increasingly look for evidence that an applicant can handle the responsibilities that come with funding, and your website can help tell that story before they read a single word of your proposal.

By making strategic updates, you can transform your website into a powerful asset that supports your grant application.

1. Make Core Information Easy to Find

Grant reviewers do not have time to hunt for basic information. If they cannot quickly locate what they need, it creates friction and raises questions about organization and capacity. They often look for evidence that an organization can clearly communicate with the public and manage information responsibly. Your website should allow someone unfamiliar with your community to quickly understand how it operates.

Use this checklist as a starting point:

Clear Contact Information

• General municipal contact details are visible site-wide
• Department-specific contacts are easy to locate
• Emergency or after-hours information is clearly labeled

Elected Officials and Staff

• Current list of elected officials with titles and terms
• Key staff members and departmental roles
• Consistent naming and formatting across pages

Meetings and Public Notices

• Meeting schedules posted in advance
• Agendas and minutes organized by date
• Archives available for past meetings and notices

Ordinances, Resolutions, and Policies

• Documents are labeled clearly and easy to search or browse
• Older materials are archived, not mixed with current content
• PDFs are readable and logically named

Budget and Financial Information

Links work and files open without errors

Budget summaries or overviews available to the public

Financial documents are current and clearly dated

Logical Navigation

• Core information is accessible within one or two clicks
• Page titles reflect the content accurately
• Visitors do not need prior knowledge of local terminology to find information

This information should be accessible from the main navigation, not buried several clicks deep. A clean, intuitive structure signals preparedness and professionalism. It even works on a one-page site!

2. Cybersecurity Enhancements

While forward-facing updates might feel like the most important items to focus on with your website, when competing for grant money security enhancements should not be overlooked. Keeping resident and visitor data safe and secure is an important element in website ownership that should not be overlooked. Some grants, especially federal or state-funded tech/infrastructure grants, require proof of strong security measures.

In addition to an up-to-date SSL certificate, strong firewalls, regular security patches, and secure passwords with multi-factor authentication, consider adding real-time security monitoring, intrusion detection systems, and routine offsite backups to ensure quick recovery if an incident occurs. These measures go beyond prevention; they demonstrate a full-spectrum approach to risk management that can make your grant application more competitive.

A Cybersecurity Checklist to get you started:

Automated Backups: Store securely offsite for quick recovery if needed.

SSL/TLS Certificates: Ensure all pages (not just payment forms) are served over HTTPS.

Web Application Firewall (WAF): Prevents malicious traffic and data breaches.

Regular Security Patching: Keep CMS, plugins, and server software up-to-date.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Add an extra layer of protection for admin logins.

Continuous Monitoring: Detect unusual activity before it becomes a breach.

Need help keeping your website secure? CourseVector’s managed hosting is your answer. Our U.S.-based technicians ensure that your site is up to date.

Need help with in-office IT? Eagle Secure Solutions offers email and security solutions for your physical computers and email.

3. ADA Accessibility Compliance

Having and ADA accessible business or neighborhood is a no-brainer. While it might take effort to retrofit older buildings, sidewalks, and playgrounds, it is often worth the effort to make your municipality or business welcoming to everyone. Having an ADA compliant website can feel like an afterthought. Just as physical spaces must be accessible, your digital space should also be inclusive.

For grant reviewers, ADA compliance, both physical and digital, signals that your municipality or business is committed to serving the entire community, not just a portion of it. In fact, many grant programs list accessibility as an evaluation factor, so demonstrating that your website meets recognized standards can strengthen your application.

Digital ADA compliance is not usually a once-and-done thing. It requires ongoing checks and maintenance. Following WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1 AA standards means ensuring features like proper color contrast, keyboard navigation, alt text for images, and compatibility with screen readers. The process can be complex, so it’s often beneficial to partner with a web professional who understands both modern website design and accessibility requirements.

4. Transparency & Public Engagement Features

Having a website, especially a municipal website, is one of the most visible ways to prove your commitment to transparency. Your website is the perfect place to showcase your past, current, and planned improvement projects whether they are grand-funded or not. Residents can also enjoy following the progress of your projects on your website. A well-maintained site can even help grant reviewers see how your municipality communicates and delivers on projects.

Additional transparency comes in the form of posting timely meeting minutes and agendas. This level of openness builds community trust, which can weigh positively in the grant review process. It also demonstrates accountability, a quality funders look for when deciding where to invest public dollars.

Transparency Checklist to Get You Started:

• Dedicated Grants Page: Showcase past grant-funded projects and current applications.
• Public Project Dashboards: Let residents see progress on funded projects.
• Searchable Meeting Minutes & Agendas: Proves openness in governance.
• Other Documents: Share budgets, proposals, audit reports, and other relevant files to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and project planning.

Go the extra mile: Ensure that documents are ADA compliant so all residents can access them.

5. Data & Service Integration

Taking a website beyond basic information can prove that your business or municipality is willing to improve customer service to your clients or residents. Adding an online payment portal can make it easier for residents to pay bills, permits, or parking tickets at their convenience. Having form submission available online can make it easier for citizens to apply for permits, facility rentals, and service requests.

When adding data and service integrations to your website, it is critical to handle personal information responsibly. If you’re collecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII), you must ensure that the data is stored and transmitted securely. Compliance with privacy laws is not optional. You must follow the laws of the state in which the person resides, not where your business or municipality is located. Demonstrating secure, compliant online services shows grant reviewers that you are both resident-focused and risk-aware.

6. Branding & Community Identity

Don’t underestimate the power of strong branding. A professionally designed website with consistent visuals, current photos, and regularly updated content can do more than just look good. It keeps residents and clients engaged, encourages them to return for the latest information, and showcases your mission, ongoing work, and past successes. For grant reviewers, this level of polish and clarity sends a clear message: your business or municipality is professional, organized, and ready to deliver on funded projects.

Here is a checklist to get you started with branding and community identity:

• Consistent Logo Usage: Ensure your logo is high-resolution and used consistently across your site and other materials.
• High-Quality Photos: Showcase your community, facilities, events, and projects with clear, professional images.
• News & Events Section: Post regular updates, event announcements, and project milestones to show active community engagement.

A grant-ready website is one that works reliably for every visitor, every time. That includes a responsive design that adapts seamlessly to any device, fast load speeds that keep residents and reviewers engaged, and dependable hosting that ensures uninterrupted access to public information. While these details may seem technical, together they communicate something essential: your organization is organized, capable, and prepared to manage complex initiatives. Investing in these improvements strengthens daily service to the community while also reinforcing your credibility during the grant review process. If your municipality is preparing for a major grant application, this is an ideal time to evaluate whether your website supports that goal. We can help identify the upgrades that will make the greatest impact.

It’s a new year, and it’s time to set up those new document display years on pages that use Functional Gov. If your website uses the Functional Gov document management plugin, you may need to add a new feed for the new year documents.

Video Tutorial

Page setup (and editing) using the Gutenberg WP editor

1. Log into WordPress.

2. If you have an existing page, edit that page. If you need to set up a new page, click “Add Page”.

3. Choose the correct block (by clicking the + on the screen) from the choices as follows:

List

This is the view we choose most often. It’s perfect for Meeting Minutes, Agendas, Forms, etc.

Bulleted List

This view can also be good for Meeting Minutes, Agendas, Forms, etc. It just lacks the PDF icon.

Grid

We like this view for visually pleasing items, like Newsletters.

Accordion

To achieve this accordion list, you will choose the Document LIST block mentioned above. Then, make sure your setting match ours here to the right.

> Choose your document type. In our example, it’s “Meeting Minutes”.

> To make this view work, you must choose “ALL YEARS”.

> Choose to sort by Date. Most municipalities like to sort in DECENDING order so the latest Minutes and Agendas are at the top.

> Then check the “Show Year Title” and “Collapse Year Groups”. It’s up to you if you want to check “Open in New Tab.” We usually choose this as it keeps people on your site longer.

> SAVE YOUR WORK!

4. You can change your mind on the block type even after you’ve selected it using the Block Settings section on the right when the block is selected.

You have control over:

• The display of the documents on the screen, whether lists, bullets, or a grid.
• The document type displayed in this block. (You can display more than one document type on a page in separate blocks.)
• The document year.
• Whether the documents are displayed by date or title. (If you need to display the document’s title, see Display by Title.)
• Whether the documents are ordered in ascending or descending order.
• Whether the documents open in a new tab.
• Whether the excerpt is displayed.

5. When you have the page set up the way you like it click “Publish” if it’s a new page or “Update” if it is an existing page.

NOTE: If you choose “Accordion” above, you will not need to add a new block each year when you add new documents. Once you add a document for the new year, it will automatically add the title and the document to your page.

If you already have a block set up for the previous years’ documents

If you have a block set up with any previous year’s documents, you can duplicate the block and edit the settings.

To duplicate a block:

1. Select the block you wish to duplicate.
2. Click on the three dots, either at the top of the screen or just above the block – depending on your WordPress settings.
3. Choose “Duplicate”. The block should duplicate just below the selected block automatically.
4. Then, edit the settings to select this year’s date. See step 4 above for a screenshot on how to edit the new block’s settings.

Note: If you did not yet upload any documents for this year, the date may not show up at an option. Save the page, upload your document, and then go back and edit the page settings.

If you need more information about Functional Gov, it’s capabilities, or instructions on how to use Functional Gov, please visit the Functional Gov support page.

We are always here to help! Struggling to add new documents this year? Fill out a support request and we’ll happily get you up and running with your new documents ASAP.

Videos are a great way to connect with your audience. Whether you are a small business creating tutorials for your clients or a municipality posting meeting archives, videos are an important aspect of doing business and building credibility. Should they live only on your website, or be available on multiple platforms? What risks come with making them public, including the possibility of someone copying or even manipulating them with AI? These are all important questions to consider before taking the time producing and curating your video library.

What is Self-Hosting?

Let’s start with the basics. What is self-hosting? In simple terms, it’s uploading your video directly to the same server that runs your website. Unless you have a dedicated server with unlimited storage, this option can quickly become the most expensive. This method does give you technical control, but it does not prevent copying or manipulation. If a video can be watched, it can be recorded or altered. On top of that, self-hosting adds hidden costs like storage, bandwidth, server strain, and even the need for streaming infrastructure to handle buffering and playback quality.

What is the alternative?

The alternative is offloading your video assets to another service. There are several out there. Perhaps the most well-known option is YouTube. YouTube hosting transfers those costs to Google and gives built-in delivery optimization. You can also choose private or unlisted options if visibility is a concern. An added benefit to YouTube is that it’s the world’s second largest search engine, so having videos there helps discoverability. And by embedding those same videos on your website, you still capture engagement and time-on-page, making this approach both cost-effective and audience-friendly.

There are many other video hosting / streaming options outside of YouTube. Vimeo operates similarly to YouTube but is a paid service. Amazon’s S3, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure offer storage options, but again these are paid options. These platforms can be strong alternatives to traditional self-hosting if you need to keep videos private for training or membership use, if you want to avoid outside branding or ads, or if compliance requirements demand full control over your video files.

The fear of AI and video manipulation

Some clients worry that hosting videos on YouTube makes them less secure or more vulnerable to AI manipulation. In reality, if someone wants to misrepresent a video, they don’t need access to YouTube; any publicly viewable video can be copied and altered with basic tools. The risk of malicious editing exists no matter where the video is hosted.

The main defense is not in where the video is hosted, but in how the original content is published and verified:

• Keeping an authoritative channel (e.g., official YouTube channel, website, or both).
• Using watermarks or on-screen branding that establishes authenticity. Even if you’re not a video editor, there are tools available for novice. Canva might be a good option for you. They have both free and paid plans.
• Issuing official transcripts or summaries alongside the video. Transcripts and closed captioning are also important for ADA compliance.

Hosting a video ‘securely’ doesn’t mean preventing duplication; it means giving viewers confidence in the source. In fact, YouTube can enhance authenticity, since verified channels and timestamped uploads make it easy to prove what’s genuine. By contrast, a self-hosted video on a small website may not carry the same level of trust for a broader audience.

Comparing Video Hosting Options

Reassure your audience

In the end, keeping audience trust is less about where a video is stored and more about how it’s presented. The best approach is to cross-post: host videos on YouTube and embed them on your website. This ensures you control the narrative while benefiting from both authenticity and search reach, without the cost and complexity of self-hosting. Adding watermarks or logos directly to your videos reinforces ownership, while transcripts or summaries on your website provide a clear point of reference. If privacy is a concern, YouTube also allows you to disable embedding or set videos to unlisted or private, though this may limit discoverability.

Bottom line: self-hosting does not meaningfully reduce the risk of copying or manipulation. The real protection is maintaining an authoritative source of truth so that if someone edits or misrepresents your video, it’s easy for viewers to find and trust the original.

Recently, we joined both the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association (PMAA) and the Lorain County Township Association (LCTA) in Ohio. These memberships reflect our commitment to building stronger connections with municipal leaders and organizations, while also ensuring we’re providing the most relevant and impactful digital solutions.

As part of these partnerships, members of PMAA and LCTA are eligible for exclusive discounts on CourseVector’s website update plans and support services. It’s our way of making professional, secure, and ADA-compliant websites even more accessible to municipalities and authorities.

Why Partner with CourseVector

Through these partnerships, we look forward to:

• Supporting municipalities and authorities with secure, ADA-compliant websites and digital services.
• Sharing expertise in web design, hosting, SEO, and cybersecurity.
• Learning directly from members about their unique challenges so we can continue to improve our solutions.

At CourseVector, we believe collaboration is the key to innovation. By joining associations like PMAA and LCTA, we’re not only strengthening our ability to serve local governments and community organizations — we’re helping members save money while doing it.

CourseVector’s Update Plans

Our update plans are built to take the stress out of website design, hosting, and upkeep, giving businesses and municipalities a straightforward way to keep their sites secure and up to date. Already an affordable option, clients who are members of partner associations get even bigger discounts on the plan. If one of our standard plans doesn’t quite fit your municipality’s needs, we’re always happy to work with you to create a customized solution.

If you know a PMAA or LCTA member, please share this news — their web design and hosting just became even more affordable.

Note: Discounts cannot be stacked. If you’re a member of more than one association, pick the one you’d like us to tag in our records.

Website Accessibility Components

There is now a firm outline of what an accessible website is. The Department adopted the internationally recognized accessibility standard for web access, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (“WCAG”) 2.1. As such, your accessibility statement should include the following:

1. A statement letting users know that you are constantly working to make the website more accessible.
2. A list of things you’re doing to make your site more compliant.
3. A statement letting users know that if they experience difficulty with your site that they can contact you.
4. Information on browser compatibility information if you’d like.

W3C, the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web, has developed an accessibility statement tool to help you create a statement for your website.

Sample Website Accessibility Statement

CourseVector takes website accessibility seriously. If you use assistive technology (such as a Braille reader, a screen reader, or TTY) and the format of any material on this website interferes with your ability to access information, please contact us. To help us address the problem quickly, please indicate the nature of your accessibility issue, the preferred format in which to receive the material, the URL of the requested material, and your contact information. Users who need accessibility assistance can also contact us by phone through the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY/Voice communication.

Accessibility Design Guidelines

We strive to comply with website accessibility standards. If you have difficulty accessing the site or have any comments or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Browser Accessibility Information

Many popular browsers contain built-in accessibility tools.

Microsoft Edge Accessibility Information
Firefox Accessibility Information
Chrome Accessibility Information

Adobe Reader makes viewing and printing PDF documents that appear on this website easier. To download this program for free, visit the Adobe website. To read PDF documents with a screen reader, please visit the Adobe Reader Accessibility website which provides useful tools and resources.

Sample Accessibility Template

We also have a sample accessibility statement that you can use as a start to creating your own website accessibility statement.

More Accessibility tools and tips

Alt Tags for Accessibility
Accessible Poetry Plugin Review
The National Center on Disability and Access to Education’s accessible content “Cheat sheets” — Accessible Web Content
Creating Accessible PDFs
Contrast Checker
Microsoft Accessibility Checker
W3.org’s List of Accessibility Tools

As always, if you’re unsure whether your website meets legal guidelines, you’ll need to consult a lawyer who specializes in website accessibility.

Ready to make your site more accessible? CourseVector has partnered with UserWay to offer a discount on their accessibility plugin. This coupled with our maintenance program helps to ensure that your users are getting the best, most accessible experience possible.

Communication is the backbone of a thriving community. For small governments, keeping residents informed and engaged can be challenging, especially when relying on outdated systems or platforms with limited reach. That’s where Savvy Citizen comes in—a powerful emergency alert and community notification system designed to bridge the gap between local officials and the people they serve.

At CourseVector, we’re proud to partner with Savvy Citizen to bring small governments a seamless, cost-effective solution to modernize their communication strategies. Here’s why it’s time to make the switch.

What Is Savvy Citizen?

Savvy Citizen is more than just an emergency alert system; it’s a comprehensive platform that empowers small governments to connect with their communities in real-time. From weather alerts and road closures to community events and local news, Savvy Citizen ensures that your message reaches residents exactly when and where they need it—via mobile app, email, or text.

Why Small Governments Love Savvy Citizen

1. Ease of Use: No complicated setup, no technical headaches. The user-friendly interface makes it simple to send updates quickly, even in high-pressure situations.
2. Wide Reach: With multiple notification options, you can meet your residents where they are. Whether it’s a smartphone app, an email inbox, or a simple text message, Savvy Citizen ensures your updates don’t go unnoticed.
3. Affordable and Scalable: Unlike larger systems designed for sprawling cities, Savvy Citizen is tailored to fit the unique needs—and budgets—of small governments.
4. Increased Community Engagement: Go beyond emergency alerts. Share positive updates, upcoming events, and valuable resources to build a more connected and informed community.
5. Seamless Integration: Already using CourseVector for your website? Savvy Citizen integrates effortlessly, creating a central hub for all your communication needs.

Real Results for Real Communities

Small municipalities across the country are seeing the benefits of adopting Savvy Citizen. From improved emergency response times to increased resident participation in local events, this tool is transforming how governments interact with their communities.

Partnering with CourseVector and Savvy Citizen

Our partnership with Savvy Citizen brings together two trusted names in municipal technology. When you work with CourseVector, you’ll gain access to expert guidance, seamless implementation, and ongoing support to ensure your Savvy Citizen system operates at peak efficiency.

Don’t Wait to Modernize Your Communication

Your residents rely on you to keep them informed, safe, and engaged. Savvy Citizen is the tool that empowers you to exceed their expectations—all while streamlining your processes and maximizing your resources.

Ready to transform your community communication strategy? Contact us today to learn more about how Savvy Citizen can make a difference for your government.