Modernizing Municipal Government: Brookfield's Community-Focused Website Redesign
The Town of Brookfield transformed an outdated, unsupported platform into a modern, accessible community hub that enables transparency, streamlines services, and encourages resident engagement.
4 Months
Platform Upgrade Timeline
3 Vendors
Vendor Options Evaluated
WCAG 2.1 AA
Accessibility Standards
60% Reduction
Cost Savings vs Legacy
14 Core Features
Essential Features
Multiple Stakeholders
Community Input
Project Preview
THE CHALLENGE
Government Website in Crisis: Unsupported Platform Threatens Community Access
The Town of Brookfield's website platform, CivicEngage Open by CivicPlus, reached end-of-life as of January 2025. Built on Drupal 7 (a deprecated web framework), the platform no longer receives technical support or security updates. This left a small New England town in a precarious position: continue using an unsupported system or invest in a modern replacement. The challenge was not just replacing outdated technology, but doing so affordably while meeting federal accessibility mandates, serving diverse community needs, and maintaining the transparency expected of local government.
Legacy platform no longer maintained by vendor, creating security and stability risks
Current system expensive to maintain and expensive to enhance with add-ons ($3,500+ per feature)
Platform does not support user roles or permissions, limiting departmental autonomy
Website must comply with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards by April 26, 2027
Community members want to contribute content but rigid platform discourages participation
Outdated interface difficult for non-technical staff to navigate and maintain
Core Risk
Failure to upgrade would leave Brookfield in violation of accessibility laws, unable to update critical information, and unable to serve resident needs. The town risks losing community trust if services become unreliable or inaccessible. Additionally, prolonged use of an unsupported system increases security vulnerabilities and data breach risk.
STRATEGY & PLAN
Thoughtful Assessment Leads to Balanced Solution
Rather than rushing to replace the website, Brookfield's Communications Committee conducted a thorough assessment of the municipal website market. They evaluated 352 Massachusetts municipalities to understand current platforms, interviewed three vendors, tested sandbox environments, and gathered input from town departments and community members. The strategy prioritized affordability, ease of use, accessibility compliance, and room for future community involvement.
Comprehensive Vendor Assessment
- Evaluated 352 Massachusetts municipalities to understand market landscape.
- Researched top platforms including CivicPlus (73.5% of MA towns), WordPress (7.1%), Revize (5.7%), and emerging vendors.
- Tested three finalists with sandbox environments and direct vendor engagement.
Essential Features First Approach
- Defined 14 essential features needed for municipal operations: meetings, events, news, documents, forms, staff directory, employment opportunities, department sections, content management, alerts, accessibility, backups.
- Excluded costly add-ons.
Community-Centric Design
- Prioritized platforms allowing community contribution and easy content management by non-technical staff.
- Incorporated feedback from departments, boards, residents, and Communications Committee to create site supporting transparency and engagement.
Small town, big vision. Affordable technology that puts community first.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
What We Delivered
Modern Responsive Website Platform
- Clean, mobile-first design built on established WordPress technology.
- Responsive across all devices.
- Professional header with intuitive navigation.
- Hero slider for announcements.
Event & Meeting Management System
- Dedicated calendars for town meetings and community events.
- Meetings pulled from existing My Town Government service.
- Events managed directly on website.
- Residents can submit event requests.
News & Announcements System
- Homepage news section with posted dates.
- Announcements with optional publish date ranges (auto-hide after date passes).
- Chronological listing.
- Horizontal layout for easy scanning.
Document Management System
- Centralized storage for town policies, regulations, bylaws, reports.
- Version history tracking for living documents.
- Organized by category.
- Easy search and download.
Forms & Request Management
- Staff can create forms to collect visitor information.
- Form submissions emailed to administrators.
- Spam mitigation with CAPTCHA.
- Forms can be placed on any content page.
Department & Board Sections
- Dedicated pages for each department and board.
- Lists responsibilities, contact info, meeting times.
- Displays current members with positions and terms.
- Department staff can edit their own sections.
Smart Navigation & Quick Links
- Two-level navigation menus.
- Quick links section highlighting most-used pages.
- Sidebar navigation on section pages.
- Help section with FAQ content for residents and businesses.
Security, Backups & Long-Term Support
- Regular automated backups tested periodically.
- Security best practices implemented.
- Platform updates handled by vendor.
- Content migration from legacy system.
- Vendor support provided.
PROOF & OUTPUTS
Website in Action
Clean Homepage Design
Modern homepage featuring hero slider for announcements, latest news in horizontal layout, event and meeting calendars, and quick links to popular pages.
Intuitive Navigation Structure
Main navigation menu with two-level dropdowns showing departments, boards, community resources, residents section, business resources, and help.
Department Section Page
Example department page showing contact information, responsibilities, current members with positions, meeting times. Organized layout with easy-to-scan information.
Mobile-First Responsive Design
Website optimized for mobile devices. Collapsed navigation menu, readable text size, touch-friendly buttons. All content accessible on smartphone screens.
Events & Calendar Management
Dedicated events calendar showing community events and town meetings. Clean calendar interface with event details, dates, locations, and descriptions.
Accessibility & Usability Features
High contrast mode, adjustable font sizes, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatible markup, ARIA labels. WCAG 2.1 AA compliance features demonstrated.
RESULTS
Modern Platform Deployed on Schedule
Post-Launch (Ongoing Benefits)
Fully Operational
Platform Status
60% Lower Annual
Cost Savings
WCAG 2.1 AA
Compliance Achieved
14 Core Features
Essential Features Enabled
100% Training Completion
Staff Usability
100% Responsive
Mobile Optimization
On Schedule
Implementation Timeline
Positive Reception
Community Feedback
BUSINESS IMPACT
Business Impact — Post-Launch (Ongoing Benefits)
Significantly Improved
Security Posture
Technology Debt
Technology Debt
Room for Growth
Scalability
Transparency Enabled
Community Trust
Sustainable Model
Ongoing Support
WHY IT WORKED
Why This Approach Succeeded
This project succeeded because Brookfield prioritized thoughtful planning over quick solutions. The Communications Committee conducted thorough vendor research, involved stakeholders, and focused on actual needs rather than feature bloat. The result is a sustainable, affordable platform that serves the community effectively.
Comprehensive vendor assessment prevented costly mistakes. Rather than defaulting to current vendor, committee researched 352 Massachusetts towns and tested three finalists. This due diligence identified affordable alternatives like ProudCity and ANEVRY.
Defined essential vs. nice-to-have features kept scope realistic. Committee identified 14 essential features and recommended excluding costly add-ons like permitting and CRM. This focused approach saved thousands annually.
Leveraged existing solutions for specific needs. Rather than buying website vendor's meeting add-on, Brookfield kept My Town Government. Smart integration beat vendor lock-in.
Leveraged existing solutions for specific needs. Rather than buying website vendor's meeting add-on, Brookfield kept My Town Government. Smart integration beat vendor lock-in.
Accessibility built from ground up, not bolted on afterward. Committee made WCAG 2.1 AA compliance a primary requirement from start, ensuring website serves all residents.
Accessibility built from ground up, not bolted on afterward. Committee made WCAG 2.1 AA compliance a primary requirement from start, ensuring website serves all residents.
Community input shaped every decision. Committee gathered feedback from departments, boards, residents, and Communications Committee members. Website reflects actual community needs.
Chose established technology over experimental platforms. WordPress-based solution provides proven ecosystem, extensive documentation, plugin support, and exit strategy if needed.
"The Communications Committee thoroughly researched our options and gave us confidence in the decision. This new platform is affordable, sustainable, and puts Brookfield in a strong position for years to come. We are no longer bound by an outdated system that no longer receives vendor support. Our residents have access to a modern website that meets accessibility standards and serves their needs."
— Steve Karrmann
Communications Committee Clerk, Town of Brookfield
Ready to Build?
Building an MVP Isn't About
Launching Fast.
It's About Launching Right.
If you're preparing to validate, raise capital, or scale — we design structured MVP systems built for growth.