As any good business knows, a good website is critical.  A good website provides an impression, serves at a repository for information, functions as a means of communication and works as a vehicle for a transaction, among other important uses. 

A local government website is no exception.  The municipal laws?  The address of the parks department?  The baseball field's hours?  The next meeting of the board of adjustment?  Paying a water bill?  All can be found or achieved through a good website. 

What does this have to do with land use or litigation, you ask?  Well, tons and tons.

In the land use space, a good local government website is critical.  The zoning map?  The next agenda for the upcoming meeting of the governing board?  The minutes from the last meeting of the planning board?  The geographic information system (GIS), or other means of gathering property information? All of this is available at the local government offices, sure, but efficiency and even accuracy can be enhanced when the information goes digital and can be accessed on a website.  We spend a great deal of time researching local government websites for information whether we are working with, for or against a local government in the land use space.  Better information leads to better government, better development and better communities.  And a good website can provide and deliver that better information. 

The City of Raleigh, where the Land Use Litigator is based, was recently recognized as one of the 10 Best Local Government Websites for 2014 by Government Technology and eRepublic's Center for Digital Government.  For its part, Wake County, in which Raleigh sits, is named in the top 5 of the best county government websites.  The rankings for the Digital Government Achievement Awards can be seen here.