Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
If you’ve visited the City of Yelm’s website over the last month or so, you might’ve noticed a completely new opening page and a much different interface.
During a Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9, Line Roy, the City of Yelm’s communications and recreation coordinator, highlighted some of the changes to the website and provided some tips on how to navigate it.
The new website can be found at yelmwa.gov.
“Some of the really cool features that I like, we have this news flash. We can adjust this for anything that’s happening,” Roy said. “If there’s a big major emergency, and we want to make sure people are seeing it right away, or if we want to draw attention to information out there, we can make it so it’s front and center on the website.”
Additionally, Roy said she’s impressed with some of the new features on the website, such as the quick links to different city information on the home page, which she described as the hot items people will want to see. This includes city news, public notices, agendas and minutes for Yelm City Council meetings and study sessions, along with a section for public records requests.
The navigation bar at the top of the home page has also been redesigned to provide clarity for community members visiting the website. It’s been divided into several sections, including government, department, community, services and explore.
“This is a lot more clear. If you want to talk about the government, or send a comment to the mayor or city council, it’s right there in the government section. It highlights our boards and commissions, our transparency — everything is right there,” Roy said. “If you pop over to the department section, everything is broken out. You have your executive department, your HR, your planning and building, police. That way, it’s easy to find things.”
She added that the community section is a “fun zone” where folks can learn about military connection, access a residents guide, find family-friendly recreational activities to participate in, and simply stay informed with local happenings and government meetings.
Under the services tab, Roy said residents can find permits, the emergency management plan, put in for a public records request, reserve the Yelm Community Center and find “ways to do business” in Yelm.
Additionally, 2024’s centennial documentary, created by longtime Yelm resident Jared Potter, can be viewed on the city’s website under the “explore” tab. This section also provides information on the many different parks and gathering places within the city.
“There are some places you’ll see things more than once, and that’s just to make things easier for residents to find when they need it. If I’m a resident and looking to rent the community center, am I going to the community tab or the services tab? Why not put it in both to make it more accessible?” Roy asked. “We have lots of information on the website for you guys, for our community to look at.”
