SPANISH FORT, Ala.—A second design firm threw its hat in the ring for a shot at overhauling the city’s website.

Marcus Neto, founder of Daphne-based Blue Fish Design Studio, pitched his firm’s services to the City Council during Monday’s informal work session, but his social-marketing emphasis met with some resistance.

District 4 Councilman Tom Sawyer said he is uncomfortable adopting an informal medium for delivering city correspondence, although he sees where using social-media such as Facebook and Twitter to promote special projects and events under the city’s umbrella could be useful.

“The emphasis on marketing (the city) needs to be second or third to the dissemination of information,” Sawyer said. “There’s a lot of technology available. I just want to be careful about how we use and where we use it.”

For instance, Sawyer said he would champion the website as a means for creating an emergency notification system that serves — and contacts — residents directly when a natural or man-made disaster occurs.

Neto, who did contract work in Washington, D.C., for 10 years before launching his private firm five years ago, said his company works with local and international clients. More important, he said, is that Blue Fish specializes in the creation and maintenance of websites as opposed to other companies that focus on traditional media first and incorporate website services “as an afterthought.”

Among his clients, Neto counts Blue Gill Restaurant, Thompson Engineering, FM Talk 106.5 and several churches. The firm has not serviced a municipality to date.

“In the six years I’ve lived here, this area has changed drastically. It has a lot to offer, and the current website doesn’t communicate that,” said Neto, indicating an overhaul would — at the very least — highlight state parks, Mobile Bay, shopping centers, schools, demographics, helpful contact numbers and other amenities.

The 2010-11 budget, approved in early October, includes $10,000 for the city’s website overhaul and maintenance, representing a substantial increase from the $2,000 budgeted in fiscal year 2010.

Kathy Estadt, president of Fresh Focus Group, pitched the council her Internet-marketing expertise in August, and a third firm is expected to make a presentation during the Nov. 1 work session. District 5 Councilwoman Mary Brabner has spearheaded the upgrade efforts.

“I want this website to sell our city for us, to show people why they want to move here, to show businesses why they want to locate here,” she said. “It’s gotten put on the back burner, and it doesn’t need to be there.”

Neto said he could have the site up and running within 30 to 45 days after reaching a definitive agreement with the city.

In other business during the ensuing regular meeting, the council:

*Approved unanimously a resolution authorizing Mayor Joe Bonner to enter into an agreement dispensing $5,000 to the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance.

The figure represents $2,500 carried over from 2010 that was never collected, plus the budgeted $2,500 for 2011.

*Approved unanimously a resolution authorizing Bonner to enter into a sponsorship agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation to build sidewalks supporting the 2011 Safe Routes to School program.

If ALDOT’s grant is approved, the city’s $70,000, being drawn from a restricted fund that has not been touched for six years, would pay for preliminary engineering services, construction inspection and a grant-writing fee. A decision isn’t expected until summer 2011.

The next regular meeting of the council will begin with a 5 p.m. work session in the conference room at City Hall on Nov. 1, followed immediately by the regular meeting at 6 p.m. at the Gathering Place in the Prodisee Center.