City email addresses are moving from the round-rock.tx.us domain to roundrocktexas.gov, which will be consistent with our website address. The new addresses are already working for receiving mail. The old addresses will continue to work until early next year.

“We’re moving everyone’s email address to roundrocktexas.gov, the same domain the City’s website has been on for more than five years,” says Brooks Bennett, who was recently promoted to Chief Information Officer in the Information Technology (IT) division after seven years with the City’s Communications Department.

So, for example, smcintire@round-rock.tx.us becomes smcintire@roundrocktexas.gov.

The new addresses are already working. On March 12, IT will change the default Sent From address in everyone’s Microsoft Outlook. The change should be automatic and employees do not need to do anything.

The old addresses will continue to work until Feb. 4, 2013. Until then, messages to either the old address or the new will go to employees’ inboxes seamlessly.

[Edited to add] The new link for Microsoft Outlook Web Access is https://mail.roundrocktexas.gov/owa.

“We will relinquish control of the old domain when our registration expires next year,” says Brooks. “This change gives us an opportunity to look at some other systems that still use the old domain and move everything to .gov. It will consolidate our systems under one domain, which will be easier to administer and, more importantly, remember.”

Getting the word out
Communicating the change to residents and businesses in the coming year will probably pose the greatest challenge in the transition.

“The technical work has been done,” says Brooks. “Now we just need to get the word to everyone over the next year.”

Over the next few months, City emails listed in the website staff directory will be updated with the new address. External sites that may have City contact information will be more of a challenge.

“We will be trying to find and contact sites that list our email address, like Homeowners Association sites,” says Brooks.

Also, employee’s email signature blocks may need to be updated with the new address. Business cards and letter head will gradually be updated as well.

Overall, the change should be a big improvement. City emails will now be consistent with our website and employees won’t have to stumble over dashes and dots when giving their address over the phone. But, of course, it may not be entirely without glitches.

“If something breaks, let us know,” says Brooks.