Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Notice Reform topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Franklin planning board backs ordinance moving public notices from newspapers to township website
Summary
The Franklin Township Planning Board on July 16 recommended that the township committee adopt an ordinance (011-26) that shifts required public-notice publication from newspapers to internet posting, after public comment raised concerns about archiving, outages and fees.
The Franklin Township Planning Board on July 16 recommended that the township committee adopt an ordinance that replaces newspaper publication of zoning notices with internet posting and archival requirements.
The board’s solicitor told members the ordinance (011-26) “essentially just codifies state law,” noting the statutory change took effect March 2 and requires applicants and municipal clerks to make notices available online. The board voted to forward the ordinance to the governing body, with minutes noting several technical and procedural comments for the township committee to consider.
Why it matters: shifting legal notice from printed legal ads to online postings changes who must host and archive notices and how long those records must be retained. Several speakers in public comment said that change imposes new labor and potential costs on municipal staff and raised questions about continuity during outages.
Public comment: A commenter identified as Cindy urged the board to ensure municipal compliance with archival obligations. She said municipalities must archive notices for a full year and be prepared for outages, adding, “it does have a full throttle of it,” and warned that the new approach could add substantial work to clerks’ offices. In response, board members and the solicitor said municipalities can still choose to publish in newspapers as a backup and that fee-setting for third-party online publishers is governed by statute and administrative rules.
Technical details and clerk workflow: Board members recommended that the township require applicants to provide notices in an electronic format to reduce retyping and scanning by the clerk. The clerk explained the current process: physical notices are scanned and uploaded to the website, but electronic submission would simplify posting. Bill, chair of the communications commission, told the board the township’s current web provider archives public notices (date-stamped) and retains records for over 10 years.
Procedure and next steps: After closing public comment, the board made and adopted a motion to recommend ordinance 011-26 to the township committee, asking that the committee consider the board’s procedural concerns about electronic format, archiving, and whether to maintain newspaper backups. The recommendation will be delivered to the township committee, which has authority to adopt the ordinance and set any related fee or procedural rules.
Votes and formal actions: The planning board recorded the motion and roll call to forward the ordinance; the minutes will reflect the technical comments discussed during the meeting. No final adoption occurred at the planning board level—the board’s action was a formal recommendation to the governing body.
