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Resident presses city on .gov website, webcasts, ADA and public-comment procedures; officials cite implementation steps
Summary
A frequent speaker criticized the city for delays converting to a .gov domain, improving webcasts and making municipal records and meetings more accessible. Corporation counsel and staff said the city is working on the transition and that prior-submitted questions may be answered in writing; no full timetable was offered at the meeting.
Laurie Sandow (public commenter) pressed the city on multiple transparency and access issues: whether the city will move its official site to a .gov domain as required by a state amendment signed Feb. 28, 2025; when agendas, minutes, audits and financial documents will be posted; when webcasts will be improved with better audio, larger images and reliable closed captioning; and whether the city's site will be made ADA-compliant and searchable for board appearances.
Sandow also questioned meeting procedures at an "informational meeting," attendance by council members, and whether corporation counsel or staff had issued memoranda removing submitted public comments from minutes. Rebecca Vault said no memo was issued "regarding the elimination of the comments from the chamberlain's minutes" and that a memo to the planning board about public-hearing language affected only the planning board and would not be sent to other boards.
City Administrator Joseph Donat said staff are "operating within the confines that the state has provided regarding the transition" to .gov and that IT staff are working on the change. Donat and Vault both said residents may submit questions in advance of informational meetings so department heads can be prepared.
Discussion: Sandow asserted the timing of the informational meeting (the day after Labor Day) reduced attendance and questioned the public's ability to obtain timely written answers. Officials said they will respond to questions submitted in writing and that staff are working on the .gov migration and on webcast improvements; no completion dates were given at the meeting.
Ending: Officials promised follow-up on written questions and said IT staff are working on the domain transition, but Sandow remained critical of the pace and completeness of the city's accessibility and transparency efforts.
