ROCHESTER — Residents can save a trip to Town Hall or an email or phone call to officials thanks in part to the town’s new website which launched last week.

The site swap was announced by Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar in a July 8 meeting with the Board of Selectmen.

She likened the idea of the switch because the new website offers more flexibility and new abilities.

“It’s an important tool to be able to get information out more quickly,” Szyndlar said. 

Though the website address is the same, it has a similar feel to Marion and Mattapoisett’s government sites because all three towns now use the same host, Civic Plus.

Boards such as the Board of Health will be able to manage their own pages and post updates there or to the main website. Residents can also subscribe to mailing lists to keep up to date on town news. 

Finding bylaws, recycling schedules and requirements, permit applications and making online payments are now more accessible to residents.

One aspect of the site that is not yet fully fleshed out is the posting of meeting agendas. But this was to be expected because the process for making that official is lengthy.

Szyndlar said that Town Clerk Paul Dawson may also explore making the new website the official posting place for town meetings so that residents would no longer have to drive to Town Hall to see posted meeting notices. However, that change would have to be approved by the Attorney General and could not be implemented immediately when the site comes out.