Toledo gov plans to redo city Web site

Katerina Bekyarska, new Web master for the City of Toledo, said her first priority is to revamp an outdated Web site that is in dire need of a major overhaul.

Bekyarska, whose educational background is in communications, said she hopes her work will help visitors to the city's Web site, ci.Toledo.oh.us, access information on city services. She also would like the site to serve as a marketing tool for individuals considering moving to Toledo or companies interested in conducting business in the city.

Bekyarska must sell enough advertising on the Web site to cover her $54,000 annual compensation, which includes fringe benefits, Schwartz said. Her actual salary, he said, is $32,000 a year. “Because of the budget situation, we didn't want to put the burden on taxpayers' dollars,” he said. After reaching the $54,000 plateau, Schwartz said, Bekyarska would qualify for bonuses to be paid after she surpasses designated performance goals. Other additional sales dollars would be put into the city's general fund, he said.

The City of Dayton eliminated its Web technology administrator's position. Two of the city's public affairs employees share Web site maintenance duties. The City of Ft. Wayne, Ind., has a full-time Web master who earns a salary of approximately $42,000 and designs the site and provides its content.

Bekyarska won't be responsible for designing the Web site's layout and maintaining the software that will manage and place content. The city is in the process of scheduling interviews with three different firms that submitted the most competitive bids to conduct the redesign, Bekyarska said. Those companies' bids were between $35,000 and $40,000, she said. Toledo's upgraded Web site could be up and running by summer if all goes as planned, Bekyarska said.