Glendon Borough joined the World Wide Web when its website went online last night.
Glendon is the second smallest borough in Northampton County, by population. With approximately 400 residents, Glendon doesn’t have a large budget to work with, so a website hadn’t been a high priority. However, like any local government that wants to provide better transparency, and the ability to provide information to its residents quickly, it saw the need for a website.
As some may know, I build websites and blogs. Among them is West Easton’s website. I built it at no charge for my labor. I wanted to give something to my own community, and provide transparency that hadn’t existed before being elected to Council in 2016.
When Glendon Councilman Jeffrey Muschlitz contacted me in January about building a website for his community, I was pleased to help, explaining to him the cost savings in buying a domain name and hostserver directly, rather than using a third party.
In February, I presented my proposal to Glendon Council, with a mock-up of how the website would appear. I was informed a couple of months later that Council approved the project. Last night, I attended their monthly Council meeting, opened the website to the public, and reviewed the various functions and capabilities of the site with Council.
It can cost money to build a proper website, if a third party is hired to do it. Website developers aren’t cheap, so it’s understandable that a website is put on a back burner, when expenditures have to be watched closely. A typical website of about 10 different pages can cost anywhere from $500 to $3000 for the build, depending on how complicated it is. Along with the basic build cost, additional fees may include yearly “maintenance” charges, “upgrade” costs, and “support” billings that guarantee an on-going passive income to the the website developer.
I’m told one local community paid $7000 for their website build, and I visited that website to see what they got for their money. If they did pay that much, they got ripped off, by around $5000.
Since I don’t make a profit each year building websites and blogs, the IRS told me I can’t deduct my costs, because it isn’t a “business.” Maybe when I retire I’ll look into making it more than just the hobby Uncle Sam tells me it is.
I actually prefer building “blogs,” rather than websites. I can build a blog for $99, giving people an online presence far more professional looking than online blogging platforms. A few of my past customers are now making extra money each month blogging about Amazon products, which they provide links to, earning a commission on a sale that occurs from their link.
Glendon’s site, on the other hand, is their official government website that will serve to provide community information to its residents and visitors. It’s not a “blog.” Though I did charge a small fee for the build, I had no doubt it was far below what anyone else would charge.
Glendon will not have to pay an annual “renewal” fee for my service. No charges for “maintenance,” updates, add-ons, or support, if needed. I even put in a couple of “bells and whistles” for them. They own the domain name and hostserver accounts. I’ll also show them how to run the administrative side of the site. So, at some point in the future when I’m dead, or too senile to remember how , they’ll be able to keep their website running smoothly, and current with information.
The Glendon website is now open to its residents, and the public. It can be found at, glendonboro.com.
The IRS is right about me not running a business. I crunched the numbers on the build. It may be a “hobby,” but it’s better than flipping burgers and asking people, “Do you want fries with that?”
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
