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Township staff warns of 2027 digital‑accessibility deadline, recommends consultant and $30,000 initial allocation
Summary
Public information staff told supervisors Montgomery Township must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards by April 26, 2027; staff recommended hiring a digital accessibility consultant and suggested an initial budget allocation of about $30,000 to audit and remediate online content and train staff.
Township public information staff warned supervisors that new legal expectations for digital accessibility require municipal compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards by April 26, 2027, for public-facing digital content. The board heard a detailed overview of affected content types, compliance principles and recommended next steps.
Public information coordinator Derek Muller said the requirement covers all publicly available online content maintained by Montgomery Township, including websites, PDFs, GIS applications, payment portals and recorded livestreams; he said that in April 2024 the Department of Justice has clarified agencies must follow WCAG 2.1 AA and that Montgomery Township—given its population size—has until 2027 to meet the standard. "Our deadline is gonna be 04/26/2027," he said.
Muller recommended hiring a digital accessibility consultant to conduct an initial audit, create a remediation roadmap, develop staff training and support initial remediation. He estimated an initial allocation of approximately $30,000 to cover audit, remediation planning and training and noted that full compliance may require additional tools or vendor updates.
Why it matters: public-facing digital content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust to assist residents with disabilities; noncompliance could expose the township to liability. Staff stressed the need to train employees across departments and to build an ongoing maintenance program rather than treating remediation as a one-time fix.
Next steps: staff will return with proposed consultant scopes and cost estimates, assess current vendors’ ability to support accessibility needs and include a budget line in the 2026 planning process.
