Draft resolution on transparency
If the Council agrees to add my proposed agenda item "Transparency and accountability in local government," then this is the current draft of the resolution I would offer:
Whereas, transparency in government is necessary to hold officials accountable, and
Whereas, holding officials accountable is necessary for good government, and
Whereas, new media allows for greater transparency in government via easier and speedier access to government information for a larger number of people,
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Town Council directs the Town Manager and requests the Town Council’s TV production consultant, Henry Chase, to upload the video recording of this Council meeting to the internet and to provide the video on the Town website’s homepage, and
Be it further resolved that as new Council meetings and public hearings occur, they will also be uploaded to the internet with the most recent video being available on the Town website's homepage and a link being provided on the Town website’s homepage for all historical meetings; and
Be it further resolved that meeting videos will be accompanied by a table of contents that enables people to easily view the meeting by agenda item; and
Be it further resolved that a link to meeting minutes will be added to the Town website’s homepage and that all meeting minutes will be added starting from January 1, 2007.
And be it further resolved that the Town Manager will have the video of this meeting available on the Town website’s homepage by August 27, 2007.
And be it further resolved that the Town website’s homepage link to all meeting minutes for 2007 will exist by August 27, 2007.
What do you think? I'm amenable to changes. Perhaps work in Planning & Zoning in there somewhere? Feel free to offer any and all changes.
And if you have any doubt about the viability of getting Council meetings on the Town website's homepage, I offer you this (compliments of Craig Houghton at Cheshire Town Post)
Tim White
Town Council, 4th District
11 comments:
Why does the council tolerate the purposeful act of the Planning and Zoning Department in not putting the latest minutes of the P&Z and Inland Wetlands meetings on the web when they are available.
They have purposely not put the meetings that deal with the Northend on the web, and have contributed to a blackout of any real information.
Also, all the minutes should be available not just the latest one.
Sure, people can drive to the Town Hall and read them in the clerks office and pay .50 for a copy, but this is 2007 and it is not that difficult to put the information where people can easily get to it. We don't need to have it in Voelker's lock box.
And, why doesn't the TM tell them to get the information to us. Why do we pay him so much when he doesn't take corrective action. We don't need an information officer, we need people to do their jobs. They work for all the citizens not just the developers.
Tim, I am in the 3rd, so I won't be able to cast a vote for you. However, your continued efforts to open up local government to everyone in town, no matter how busy they are with their work and family, have earned my respect and full support. I'll do my best to be sure that's worth more than a single vote. Well done!
I certainly hope this makes it to the agenda. Also, P&Z does need to be included.
-csh
Great resolution, Tim. Any way you can include something that directs the TM to strongly suggest that the BOE do the same with their meetings. The BOE's meetings, especially their budget meetings, are poorly attended and hardly ever air in a timely manner if they air at all.
All of the meetings should be on video. The P&Z, Inlands Wetland and most of all the Public building Commission. This could easily be done by having a video camera set up in rooms 207 & 209/210. When a meeting starts the Chairman hits the record button. For the Council Chambers, same deal that can be used when Henry id not taping.
I watched tonight's council meeting and I don't understand why you didn't move ahead with the vote to add your resolution to the agenda. I know it required a 2/3 vote to add to the agenda, but the idea of transparency was quite clear and how could any other council person not go along with it?
And speaking of 2/3 required vote - How come Mr. Hall told Nina, from the Kid's in Motion group, that he wanted her to address more questions and would add the "playground" topic to the agenda for later in the meeting, yet he never asked for a 2/3 vote from the council?
Tim, Tonight's council meeting mentioned a possible memorial service for sometime in September, possibly at CHS field, for people to come together for a service in memory of the Petit family. I believe all 29,000 Cheshire residents would be compelled to either attend or participate in some way and rather than to expect all 29,000 and those from surrounding towns to attend (no doubt causing major conjestion on Rt. 10 for hours) could you possibly check into having that service televised live?
10:41... I expect that this will be on the agenda on 8/28 or 9/11. Waiting two more weeks is no big deal to me... unnecessary, but not a problem.
As for Nina... she spoke during public communication... no vote was needed.
10:50... yes. I'll ask about it.
P&Z meetings should be included.
10:26 I agree. But my thinking was this... the motion was already quite long... and I expected resistance to it. So I thought that if we could get the Council video & minutes on the website, it would then be difficult to resist adding P&Z.
My name is Rick Smith. If Henry needs any help let me know. If the material is public Domain I can help him post it to the Internet Archives which will host it for free.
http://www.archive.org/details/CommonSenseBudget
Here is an example of the quality we can post them at:
http://www.budgetproductions.us/InroductionHPHouse.html
If he gives me acces to the tapes I will convert them to mpg2 and post them. Or if he would rather I will record the cable version but the quality will be so so.
As a portal to the postings we could use a free blog site such as this.
I am at the Cheshire Historical Society Sunday nights 7pm with Ron Gagliardi and Mike Boccio or Contact me at:
www.cheshire06410.com
Of course for the first year I work for free:-)
Here is an option:
http://cheshire06410.myownchannel.tv/
Rick Smith
cheshire06410com@aol.com
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