In this case study, Olivier Guillard (Deputy Major, Saint-Léger-en-Yvelines) tells us how his town used Joomla to structure and create their municipal website. He shows us why Joomla is the perfect tool to build a user-friendly, accessible website that's perfect for a local government.

Rethinking local public services by designing a local government web site

For a local government, designing the website is undoubtedly a very structuring project.

Designing or overhauling a municipal website goes beyond mere aesthetic updates. For elected leaders and civil servants, it presents an opportunity to rethink community needs and establish stronger connections with citizens.

For elected officials as well as for civil servants, it is an opportunity to review needs, even to rethink the relationship with citizens. In an ever-evolving landscape of public services, local communities find themselves at a pivotal juncture. The digital age has brought forth new possibilities, challenging traditional models and demanding constant adaptations. It's with this mindset that we embark on the redefinition of local public services, with a vision that embraces emerging needs such as evolving family dynamics, flexible schedules, increased mobility, and much more.

This is a very stimulating and inspiring transformation project.

Innovation at the Heart of Local Governance

After having identified our main objectives, we have chosen to implement an agile approach using Joomla!. Joomla! is an exceptionally adaptable CMS that offers a philosophy and architecture conducive to strategic thinking. In collaboration with designers and Joomla developers, we naturally clarified the contours of solutions that meet our needs. Joomla isn't just a technical tool; it's a platform that sparks creativity and encourages exploration guided by pertinent questions.

Igniting citizen Interactions

Saint-léger-en-Yvelines is one of the first communes in France that has developed a connection with the national authentication system called “France Connect”. Citizens can therefore access services provided by our town using their unique identifier known by any “France Connected” public service providers (see here: https://www.service-public.fr/P10013?lang=en ).

Providing online access to local public services isn't just about convenience; it's a chance to foster dynamic interactions by maintaining a local newsletter or creating public forms with native custom fields or using a dedicated component such as Convert Form for example. Modern family dynamics and the imperative of heightened responsiveness were central to our considerations.

Custom interfaces for day to day operations and compliance considerations

Through Joomla, we've crafted professional interfaces for secretariats (see screenhot below), enhanced the accessibility of public services the way it is explained in this article and streamlined compliance procedures using native track recorders of consents when a citizen registers to access to a service for example.

Regulatory compliance is paramount for a local government, the digital age raises new challenges in this matter. Joomla meets these needs by providing native compliance tools, particularly in the realms of personal data protection (GDPR) and accessibility (RGAA). Security and performance are also at the forefront of concerns. With monitored updates and controlled extensions, Joomla mitigates vulnerabilities and ensures a reliable user experience.

The Case for Choosing Joomla

Opting for Joomla! is more than choosing technical tools. It's a philosophy of open access bolstered by a vibrant and engaged global community. Joomla! boasts a robust native access control management (ACL) system, enabling the creation of tailored interfaces to better serve our authentified citizens (“France Connected”).

Joomla! ‘s flexibility and scalability also make it an ideal partner for anticipating upcoming changes without incurring exorbitant costs.

An Invitation to Act

For determined leaders, launching web projects should transcend mere technical formalities. It's an opportunity to surpass expectations, spur innovation, and reshape citizen interactions. Joomla embodies this vision, and we're proud to have showcased our digital strategy and municipal website at Joomladay 2023 in Metz : the presentation -in French- can be viewed here. Join this open community over this inspiring journey toward a digital future.

Olivier Guillard, Deputy Major, Saint-Léger-en-Yvelines

Note : Saint-Léger-en-Yvelines is a town in the Île-de-France region in north-central France, 60km from Paris. The commune is a rural one with around 1500 inhabitants.

Many french municipalities are using Joomla for their web sites, from little to middle size one such as : Orsay,  Clermont l'Herault , Saint-Léger-en-Yvelines, etc.