"We update the website usually on a daily basis, but have received comments from the public that information was hard to find and that the site seemed a bit stagnant in terms of pictures and current information," said the county spokesperson Holly Lafontaine, who oversaw the redesign.

"Hopefully now, within one click, you can find what you need. The search function is also a little more advanced," she said.

The new website features drop-down lists with links for board actions/agendas, county information, departments/offices, businesses/tourism, online services and applications and forms. "Eventually, we're going to have all the forms so you can fill them out online," said Lafontaine, although some forms that require a signature will still have to be printed out.

Online bill pay will be the next phase of improvements to the site. The county hopes other options will be added within the first quarter of 2010. Rockdale Water Resources online bill pay will be the first launched, with court service fees and fines, such as traffic citation payments, being second on the priority list.

The new site also posts news releases right on the home page and features live streaming of the county's Channel 23. Another goal is to eventually have an archive of programs and meetings aired on Channel 23 available online.

"Say you wanted to see the board meeting back in September, you could click on it and watch it," said Lafontaine. "That's something we're building on to accomplish in 2010."

She emphasized, "All the things that we have on our goal list is because of input the department has received from the commissioners and the public."

Rockdale County's original official website went live in 1999, and minor redesigns and updates were made in 2005.

To see the website, go to www.rockdalecounty.org.