LANCASTER TWP — In 2015, township manager Benjamin Kramer pushed for a new website to replace the township's then-outdated home page.

“Lancaster Township had a very generic, not functional, not very robust website,” Kramer said.

Now, three years after the new website was unveiled, it was featured as an example of a good township internet presence by the state township association.

The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors called the township's new website “attractive” and “informative” in an October article in its Pennsylvania Township News magazine.

“I looked them up and saw they had a really nice one, and thought, from my research, they were doing all the things they were supposed to be doing,” said Amy Bobb, senior editor of the magazine and author of the article. “I really felt like what Benjamin (Kramer) and the township have done really encompasses what we want townships to do with their websites.”

Kramer said the township sought to increase public access to the municipality's functions and information about where they live.

“We find that it allows us to provide as much transparency as possible,” he said.

Through the township's website, residents can find meeting minutes and information about zoning ordinances, government functions and the road and police departments.

“The more information you put on the website, the more they feel they can trust the township,” Bobb said.

Not all of that information is clear cut, Kramer said. Zoning ordinances, for example, or requirements for things such as driveways, pools and fences can be confusing.

To help alleviate that issue, the township uses a combination of digital information and face-to-face conversations.

“I think people like the option and they enjoy having the accessibility of getting that information on their own, especially as the township continues to grow,” Kramer said.

Bobb said the township's ability to convey information is of value to Lancaster residents. “I was impressed with what Lancaster Township had done with changing their website and bringing it into the modern day, and how they did it at an affordable price,” she added. “It was at a minimal cost for the value they were going to give their residents.”