After nearly four months of development, the City of Turlock announced the launch of its new mobile application. Tabbed as “MyTurlock,” the app aims to be a one-stop location for city information and resources.
“What it’s going to do for you is it's going to help you to get your resources quicker… Once you've downloaded, you can connect with us so much easier,” said Mayor Amy Bublak in a video announcement.
The MyTurlock app, in short, is a compacted version of the City of Turlock’s website, though there are links to different departments and informational pages all listed on the main page that opens when first accessing the application to make navigation easier and more convenient. There are links to city council meeting live streams and documents, city staff directories, job openings, business license and permit requests, municipal codes, utility payment webpages, Turlock Transit bus routes, citizen request forms and more.
The decision to develop a mobile app was agreed upon at the Jan. 23 city council meeting, in which all five council members voted in favor of appropriating $53,700 from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) reserves to fund the purchase for the first three years through GOGov, an organization specializing in providing mobile software to local governments.
According to Anthony Sims, City of Turlock economic development director and communications officer, the cost of the mobile app is $20,000 per year. Turlock Transit will be contributing $2,100 each year, leaving a shortfall of 17,900 per year to be covered by $53,700 appropriated ARPA funds. After three years, the city hopes to have identified alternative funding sources to cover the app’s annual cost.
“Communicating with the public is a top priority for the city,” Sims said at the Jan. 23 council meeting. “A city mobile app solution will allow the opportunity to update the public on community events, city updates and send notifications to citizens that have downloaded the app.”
Through social media, the City of Turlock began encouraging residents to fill out a four-question survey to share their thoughts and preferences on app features and naming. With the app has launched, the city will continue to hear feedback, whether it be through social media, app store review or other means of communications.
“Just be patient. We're going to keep adding more information for you and you can obviously give us information, as well,” Bublak added.
MyTurlock can be downloaded for free in the Apple Store and Google Play Store. It is compatible with all mobile devices.
