Following an announcement that the project was ahead of schedule and under budget, Hutto Director of Communications Eliska Smith told Hutto City Council Thursday night that the city is expecting to unveil its new website as soon as next week.

Hutto's website, at www.huttotx.gov, features several new features, including tools to increase government transparency and citizen engagement.

The new website will house a tool called the Citizen Action Center where residents can email a specific department with an issue or request. Residents will also be able to submit issues or register a complaint on the website with the guarantee the complaint will go to the right department using a feature called Public Service Request.

According to Smith, the new website will make accessing Hutto City Council agendas, minutes and recordings easier to access due to a cleaner website navigation.

The website also features an interactive calendar that allows the user to access specific Hutto departments’ calendars. Hutto’s new website will additionally resize to fit with the device that it is being accessed with and additionally features social media buttons.

Smith showcased the splash page of the website to city council, the section of the website that is immediately seen upon visiting Hutto’s main page. The splash page features skyview videos of the town and names lists and awards that the town has garnered.

“You can see through the website that we’re creating an ‘Open for business’ community,” Smith said. “It is more than just a website, it is our front door to the residents as well as citizens and businesses that want to come to Hutto.”

Hutto’s website is set to face a round of screening from usability testers before it is launched to iron out any bugs and increase navigation efficiency. According to Smith, the goal is to launch the website next week and then use the following weeks to patch any bugs that are found after the launch.

“We fully expect to make changes,” Smith said.