Give Small Towns a Break: Web Mandate Hurting Residents
Communities throughout the state have shut down municipal Web sites because a new state mandate requires them to post meeting agendas and meeting minutes on the Internet within a specific time period. Problem is, the legislature didn’t set aside money to cover extra costs associated with task. That has municipal officials grousing about unfunded mandates, and the Web site issue is on the radar screen for the Connecticut Council of Small Towns. In an interview with WFSB on Wednesday, Rep. Pam Sawyer said the state should consider a moratorium. Sawyer, a Bolton resident, represents the 55th General Assembly District. Among the towns she represents is Andover, and Sawyer explained that Andover took down its Web site because it just couldn’t meet the time standards for posting the documents to its Web site. That means residents seeking information, from phone numbers to important dates, have to look elsewhere. Harwinton and Burlington, like others, are in the same boat as Andover. “We can’t put that kind of mandate on the towns unless there is funding to follow,” Sawyer said.
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