Lexington is getting a new home in cyberspace. Starting Tuesday, LexingtonKY.gov is the city's official Web site.
In addition to a new Web address, the redesigned site lets users pay fines, apply for permits and sync their personal calendars with a city calendar.
Mayor Jim Newberry planned to launch the site at 6 a.m. with a short video tour on YouTube.
The site was specifically designed with citizens in mind, said Rama Dhuwaraha, the city's chief information officer. The previous site wasn't user friendly and was very department-centric, he said.
The city decided to switch from the previous lfucg.com domain because cities across the country are standardizing their sites with the .gov ending, he said.
The city spent about five months revamping the site, Dhuwaraha said. Vision Internet of Santa Monica, Calif., designed the site at a cost of $24,600.
"Two of my priorities are to make government more transparent and to improve the services it offers to its customers, the citizens of Lexington," Newberry said in a statement. "Our new Web site does both by making it easy to learn more about government news and to access city services."
New features on the site include:
■ The "Virtual Gateway" allows citizens to do business with the city online instead of standing in line.
The goal is to identify and put 20 percent of the city's forms, fees and payments online within the next year, Dhuwaraha said.
■ Map It! is a feature that allows citizens to map the city's buildings, infrastructure, neighborhood organizations and criminal activity.
Citizens can map their address to determine what council district they live in, their state representatives and city facilities, such as the closest public park, Dhuwaraha said.
■ "I Want To" is a drop down menu that answers many of the most frequently asked questions.
■ Citizens can sign up for a number of electronic newsletters, ranging from breaking news notices to construction updates.
For now, the city's lfucg.com e-mail addresses will continue to work, but the city will eventually migrate to LexingtonKY.gov e-mail addresses.
Lexington's first Web site was launched in 1996. The last major redesign of the site was done in August 2006.
