A content management system, or CMS, lets your team create, manage, and update your website without needing specialized technical knowledge. That sounds simple enough. But government websites carry a different weight than commercial sites.
You have legal accessibility requirements to meet. You have residents depending on accurate, up-to-date information. You have workflows, permits, and service requests that need to connect to your website without creating more manual work. And you probably have a lean team doing all of it.
So what should you actually look for? Let’s walk through it.
The right government website CMS lets your non-technical staff update pages without calling IT, keeps your site accessible and compliant with federal law, and connects your public-facing content to the back-office workflows your team depends on. GovBuilt by MCCi was built specifically for local government, and it shows. Read on to see how the right platform can help you get more good days done.
Features that make your team’s day run smoother
Because a day of waiting on IT for a content change isn’t a good day
Most local government web teams are small. In many municipalities, the person managing the website is also handling social media, public records requests, and internal communications. A good CMS needs to work for that person, not add to their load.
Look for a drag-and-drop interface that non-technical staff can actually use with confidence. Your team should be able to post a legally required meeting agenda, update a department page, or swap out seasonal graphics without filing a ticket.
GovBuilt’s modular design gives your team that flexibility. You can place content blocks anywhere on the site. Ready-built modules cover agendas, calendars, news, staff directories, business listings, social media widgets, and more. And if your community needs something specific, the team can build it for you.
Support that shows up when you need it
Because a day spent waiting on hold isn’t a good day either
Even the most intuitive platform has moments where you need a real person to help. MCCi support is available by phone or email during regular business hours for most issues. Your site is monitored around the clock, with technicians standing by for emergency situations. That kind of reliability matters when your community is counting on your website to stay up.
Compliance: what your CMS needs to get right
Get more good days done with workflows that always keep you compliant
Compliance is one of the most important factors in choosing a government CMS, and it covers more ground than most people expect. Let’s take it section by section.
ADA Title II and WCAG 2.1 AA: the accessibility requirements that apply to you
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized a rule under ADA Title II. It requires all state and local government websites and mobile apps to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.
The compliance deadlines are firm. Jurisdictions with a population of 50,000 or more had a deadline of April 24, 2026. Jurisdictions under 50,000 have until April 26, 2027.
What does WCAG 2.1 Level AA actually require? Images need descriptive alt text. Online forms need proper field labels and clear error messages. Text must have sufficient color contrast. Navigation must work with a keyboard alone. That includes your permit application pages, your zoning maps, your council meeting agendas, and every PDF you host publicly.
Roughly 13% of Americans have some form of accessibility barrier. That’s about 1 in 8 residents who could have trouble accessing your services if your site isn’t built to standard. Meeting this requirement isn’t just about legal risk. It’s about making sure everyone in your community can access what they need.
One important detail worth knowing: your government is responsible for the accessibility of every digital tool you use to deliver services, including tools built or managed by third-party vendors. If a vendor’s payment portal or permit platform falls short of WCAG standards, your agency is responsible for addressing that. It’s worth including WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements in every technology contract you sign going forward.
MCCi Government Websites are built to WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards from the foundation up. Accessibility isn’t a checkbox added at the end. It’s part of the architecture.
Security and uptime: the infrastructure your residents depend on
Stay ahead of the audits and out of the weeds
A government website that goes offline during a storm warning or a public health update is a real problem. So is a site that gets compromised because of an unpatched vulnerability.
MCCi Government Websites are monitored 24/7/365, with automated alerts and technicians available for critical issues around the clock. The infrastructure is fully redundant and can run across multiple regions. Data is backed up multiple times every day. Microsoft AI through Azure Front Door monitors and blocks suspicious traffic in real time. A full vulnerability assessment runs on every database every week.
Guaranteed uptime? 99.9%, excluding pre-scheduled maintenance windows.
Features that make your residents’ experience better
Citizens want to do everything online. Now you can let them.
A recent MCCi analysis found that nearly 48% of local government website visits come from mobile devices. Almost half your residents are checking your site from a phone. Your CMS needs to deliver a consistent, functional experience across every screen size and device.
Our websites are device-agnostic and built around true API integrations, not iframes. That distinction matters more than it might seem. An iframe embeds external content inside a window on your page. It can look inconsistent, behave poorly on mobile, and may not feel like it’s actually coming from your agency. A real API integration pulls live data into a page that looks and functions like the rest of your site, on any device.
Our API architecture makes integrations with property tax lookups, warrant searches, jail bookings, and other government databases clean, consistent, and easy to manage.
Notifications your residents actually want to receive
Not every resident wants the same updates. Some want to know about every contractor bid. Others just want to hear about community events. A good notification and preference center lets residents choose exactly what they receive, which keeps them engaged without creating inbox overload.
That’s not just a nice-to-have. It’s how you maintain transparency for the residents who want it and respect the time of those who don’t.
What’s next:
Three things worth doing before your next budget cycle
You don’t have to do everything at once. But a few targeted steps now can save a lot of scrambling later.
Start with an accessibility audit. If your jurisdiction serves more than 50,000 residents, the April 2026 deadline has already passed. Automated scanning tools catch about 30-40% of WCAG issues. Manual testing by a qualified reviewer is needed to find the rest. Document your findings and your remediation plan. That documentation is important if a complaint is ever filed.
Next, map your permitting workflow from form submission to inspection. Where are the handoffs happening manually? Where is data being re-entered? Those are the spots where a CMS-to-platform integration can have the biggest impact on your team’s time and your compliance record.
Finally, review the accessibility language in your technology contracts. If your current vendor agreements don’t include WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements and remediation timelines, that’s worth addressing before your next renewal.
MCCi Government Websites are built for exactly these challenges. If you’d like to see how it works in practice, we’d love to show you. Request a demo and give your team one more thing to feel good about today.