El Cerrito's city government has launched a new city web site that is "designed to help residents and visitors quickly locate the information and services they need and also better reflects the direction and vision of El Cerrito," the city said in a news release this week.

The new site features a photo montage across the top of the homepage showing residents playing and picnicking outdoors amid three emblems of the city: Cerrito Theater, City Hall and a BART train on the elevated tracks.

The montage also prominently features the phrase "providing innovative service for a sustainable future."

"We are excited to unveil the City of El Cerrito’s re-designed website, www.el-cerrito.org," the new homepage says. "This change was made to provide more online services and information to the public."

The new web site adds an "interactive" component, allowing viewers to establish an account and view "My Dashboard" after signing in. "My Dashboard" allows site visitors to choose among various widgets that provide alternative ways to navigate the information on the site.

Also new are a search box and a page for the city clerk's office, which was missing from the old web site.

The new design went live Nov. 4.

"The new website is our central hub of communications," Suzanne Iarla, community outreach specialist, said in the release, which was issued Tuesday. "It allows people to find the information they need at their convenience. The new design allows us to present timely information in a smart and efficient way, whether that information is department-based or service-based.”

The homepage includes a link to the city's Twitter page. A city Facebook page is coming "in the near future," the city said. Also in coming weeks, city staff will develop an online tool for residents to report concerns or request information from the city on the website or through a free iPhone app, according to the news release.

To the do the redesign, the city contracted with CivicPlus, a municipal website developer that has designed more than 900 local government web sites in North America, the city said.