New Yorkers who complain that city government is not responsive or accessible enough may find their argument falling on deaf ears, following the launch of a brand new, user-friendly city council website.

The council's Legislative Research Center, as it is called, ushers in the latest chapter in a new, high tech-age wherein constituents can follow the legislative actions of their elected officials down to the minutest details.

Elected officials promised that the site, which launched on July 28, would increase access to public hearings, records, testimony and other official documents.

"Everyday, technology makes it easier to get information out to more people," said Speaker Christine C. Quinn, "which means that we in government have an even greater responsibility to make that information open and accessible. With the new search functions and event calendar, this new site will put the people's branch of City government just a click away."

The spare, efficiently run site, which takes some getting used to- but does in fact prove to be very helpful- features several important functions.

A new Comprehensive Legislation List, and an Advanced Legislative List, allow users to search all of the legislation a council member has sponsored or co-sponsored, down to the smallest resolutions, allowing for a simple way to track just how much work an elected official has done after taking office.

A faster Calendar updating system puts city residents in the know, giving them access to breaking news at City Hall.

Through a feature called E-gendas, committee hearing agendas will now be posted online, so concerned constituents know exactly when hearings take place, and what they're about.

Finally, users will now be able to export information they've found as a word processing document, spreadsheet or a PDF.

Civic organizations praised the website, saying it goes a long way towards fulfilling a Bloomberg Administration promise to make government more transparent, and in doing so bring City Hall into the 21st century.

"The new City Council website is a welcomed improvement that makes the website much easier to navigate and allows New Yorkers to stay abreast of and participate in what is happening in the Council," said Dick Dadey, the executive director of Citizens Union.

"City residents will now be able to easily access committee agendas and minutes through the Internet, check on the status of specific legislation, and see how their council member voted on the bills they care about," said the Executive Director of Common Cause/NY, Susan Lemer.

"We commend the Council and the Speaker for a significant improvement in the type and amount of information about legislation and committee work provided through the Council's website."