Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Information Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents debate online property records and town website notification tools
Summary
Attendees debated whether making property records and tax information fully accessible online increases unsolicited purchase offers and discussed subscription alert services and chat/text features for the town website.
Participants discussed the town website and whether posting property or tax records online encourages unsolicited offers from out‑of‑state buyers.
Some attendees said county and state public databases (for example, the registry of deeds) already make parcel information accessible and that municipal websites typically provide taxing and assessment data for transparency. Others said publishing property records online appears to have led to increased calls and mail offering to buy land in the town, and they expressed concern about privacy and solicitation. One attendee described receiving repeated solicitations by mail, email and text asking whether they would sell property.
The group reviewed website features used by nearby towns, including assessment databases, map and valuation links, and subscription‑style emergency notifications (described as services similar to text.gov). Participants were split on adopting live chat or social‑style engagement on the town site; some favored using subscription alerts only for emergency notifications and routine announcements.
No formal decision was recorded; attendees suggested researching legal requirements for publishing records and reviewing how neighboring towns handle assessment and billing information before changing local policy.
