SIMI VALLEY : Computer System Ready for Public Use

The city of Simi Valley’s new public access computer system is on line and ready for use by the public.

The system, which citizens may access through their home computers, provides a directory of city offices and services, City Council agendas, annotated minutes of recent council meetings and Planning Commission agendas, officials said.

Mayor Greg Stratton said he has used the system from his home and found it a valuable tool for residents interested in knowing more about their government.

“It’s wonderful,” Stratton said. “I think it’s the start of really modern communication techniques.”

Citizens who do not have the equipment necessary to access the system from home can use the computer terminal set up in the City Hall lobby at 2929 Tapo Canyon Road.

Those seeking to gain access to the information from home should have their computer’s communication software dial 583-6342. Once the machine connects to the system, easy-to-follow instructions will guide the user to the desired information.

Neighboring Moorpark has offered its own version of the same system for more than a year, and Mayor Paul Lawrason said residents have found it to be useful.

“We’re in an era of communication, and I think the more the public knows about our activities, the better off everybody is,” Lawrason said. “So this gives the public the opportunity to look at much of what’s going on in the city.”