Most City Websites Are Failing Their Residents
We’ve audited 75+ U.S. city websites in the 50K–150K population range. The problems are fixable. The cost is a fraction of what a traditional agency charges.
After auditing 75+ U.S. city websites in the 50K–150K population range:
Cities in this range fail on the same issues, repeatedly. These aren’t edge cases — they’re the norm.
Not on a .gov domain
Missing the primary resident trust signal
No skip navigation
WCAG 2.1 Level A — ADA complaint trigger
No multilingual support
Excludes significant non-English-speaking populations
No structured data
Invisible to search engines, depressed rankings
No Open Graph tags
Broken previews when shared on social or in email
Outdated or non-responsive
Fails the majority of residents using mobile devices
These aren’t vanity issues.
They’re ADA exposure, resident frustration, and lost institutional trust. Municipal ADA web accessibility lawsuits are on the rise. Skip navigation and insufficient color contrast are the two most common complaint triggers — both fixable in a single day.
Every engagement starts with a free audit report.
No obligation. You get the report regardless — showing exactly where your site stands versus peer cities. Then you choose what fits your budget.
Quick-Fix Essentials
Addresses ADA compliance risk and basic SEO. High-impact, low-effort.
- Skip navigation link (WCAG 2.1 Level A)
- HTML lang attribute fix
- Meta descriptions for all top-level pages
- Open Graph tags for social sharing
- Structured data markup (JSON-LD GovernmentOrganization)
- Favicon update
- Basic accessibility audit report (WAVE/axe)
Compliance & Trust
.gov migration, multilingual support, full WCAG 2.1 AA. Very high impact.
- Everything in Tier 1
- .gov domain migration (GSA application + DNS)
- Multilingual support (2–3 languages)
- WCAG 2.1 AA remediation (contrast, ARIA, headings)
- Accessibility statement page
- .gov trust banner (Official Website + HTTPS)
- Professional translation for key pages
Digital Services Upgrade
Turns your website into a resident service delivery platform.
- Everything in Tiers 1 & 2
- 311/service request integration
- City status dashboard (snow, trash, parking)
- Address lookup tool (trash day, ward, polling place)
- Newsletter & alert system integration
- Homepage redesign (service-first navigation)
- Before/after report for council presentation
All tiers include a before/after audit report you can present to your council or IT director. We work in your existing CMS — no proprietary lock-in, ever.
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
We built a complete demo replacement for pawtucketri.gov to prove the concept — and to show exactly what’s possible when you move beyond patchwork fixes.
Current State
pawtucketri.gov — as audited
Issues Found
- No .gov domain (still on .com)
- No multilingual support — 25% of residents are non-English speakers
- No skip navigation (WCAG 2.1 Level A violation)
- No structured data markup
- No Open Graph tags
- Non-responsive on mobile devices
Demo Replacement
Built by Cyber Shark Solutions
What We Built
- Full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
- Bilingual support (English, Spanish, Portuguese)
- Interactive trash & recycling calendar
- Address lookup (trash day, ward, polling place)
- 311-style resident service directory
- City status dashboard (snow, trash, parking alerts)
- Structured data + Open Graph tags
- .gov-style official website trust banner
Live demo available upon request.
We’ll walk you through it — and show you what your city’s site could look like with the same treatment.
How It Works
Four steps. No surprises. You’re in control at every stage.
Free Audit Report
We analyze your site against 20+ criteria and benchmark it against peer cities. You get the full report — no obligation, no sales call required.
2–3 business day turnaround.
Pick Your Tier
Based on the audit, we recommend a tier. You choose what fits your budget, your council priorities, and your timeline. No pressure to go bigger.
You stay in control.
We Fix It
We work directly in your CMS — WordPress, Drupal, CivicPlus, or similar. You own everything we produce. No proprietary platform, no lock-in.
1–8 weeks depending on tier.
Before/After Report
We re-run the full audit and deliver a documented improvement report — measurable results you can present to elected officials or your IT director.
Defensible, documented proof.
A fraction of the cost. A fraction of the time.
Traditional agencies build for maximum scope and maximum billing. We fix the 20% of issues causing 80% of the problems.
| Service | Traditional Agency | Cyber Shark Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Full website redesign | $75,000–$250,000 | Not required for most cities |
| ADA compliance fix | $15,000–$50,000 | $2,500–$8,000 |
| Multilingual support | $20,000–$40,000 | $3,000–$8,000 |
| .gov domain migration | $5,000–$15,000 | $1,500–$3,000 |
| Typical timeline | 3–6 months | 1–8 weeks |
How we keep costs low:
AI-assisted development to generate, test, and deploy fixes rapidly. Largely automated auditing process. Battle-tested fix templates across WordPress, Drupal, and CivicPlus. We fix the 20% of issues that cause 80% of the problems — and we don’t bill you for the other 80%.
Data-Driven
Our recommendations come from auditing 75+ real city websites, not industry opinions. We benchmark you against actual peer cities.
No Lock-In
We work within your existing CMS. You own everything we build. We're not selling you a new platform or a monthly retainer.
ADA Risk Reduction
Municipal ADA web accessibility lawsuits are rising. Our Tier 1 alone addresses the most common complaint triggers.
Documented Results
Every engagement includes a measurable before/after comparison you can present to elected officials and your IT director.
Common questions about municipal website compliance
How much does a municipal website ADA compliance fix cost?
Cyber Shark Solutions offers three fixed-price tiers for city governments: Tier 1 (Quick-Fix Essentials) starts at $2,500–$5,000 and addresses the most common ADA complaint triggers including skip navigation and structured data markup. Tier 2 (Compliance & Trust) runs $5,000–$12,000 and adds .gov migration and multilingual support. Tier 3 (Digital Services Upgrade) is $12,000–$25,000 and turns your site into a resident service delivery platform. All engagements start with a free audit report.
What is WCAG 2.1 AA compliance for city websites?
WCAG 2.1 AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, Level AA) is the accessibility standard required under ADA Title II for government websites. Meeting it means your site can be used by residents with visual, motor, auditory, or cognitive disabilities. Common failure points include missing skip navigation links, insufficient color contrast, missing alt text on images, and pages without a declared HTML language attribute. Based on our audit of 75+ U.S. city websites, 48% lack skip navigation alone — a Level A (baseline) violation.
How do I migrate my city website to a .gov domain?
.gov domains are managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Eligible entities include U.S. cities, counties, and state government agencies. The process involves submitting an application through get.gov, verifying your identity as an authorized government representative, and then updating DNS records. We handle the full process including the GSA application, DNS migration, and SSL certificate setup. Timeline is typically 2–4 weeks and is included in our Tier 2 package.
What are the most common ADA complaint triggers for municipal websites?
Based on our audit of 75+ U.S. city websites, the two most common ADA complaint triggers are missing skip navigation links and insufficient color contrast ratios. Skip navigation (a link that lets keyboard users jump past repetitive navigation menus) is a WCAG 2.1 Level A requirement — the baseline. Color contrast failures are Level AA. Both are fixable in a single day and are addressed in our Tier 1 package starting at $2,500.
Rob Spence
Digital Compliance Consultant
Rob Spence is a digital compliance consultant based in Pawtucket, RI, specializing in website accessibility remediation for government and nonprofit organizations. His audit methodology is based on direct analysis of 75+ U.S. city websites and dozens of public library and tourism board sites.
Pawtucket, RI