Updated Information About Local Government Websites

Updated information about which Massachusetts municipalities have websites and whether they post essential public records online was posted on the website for the Massachusetts Campaign For Open Government on Thursday. Although some of the names have changed, the numbers have not changed much from the last time the review was conducted about 6 months ago. Of the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts, 308 now have a web presence. Only 23 municipalities post all the essential records online. Sixty-seven (67) municipalities had websites but posted none of the essential public records. Forty-three (43) municipalities have no website. So, about a third of all municipalities still do not post the essential public records on the internet.

The review of the local government websites was a little different this time. We reviewed each website to see if the municipality posted the governing body’s agenda, the governing body’s minutes, fiscal year 2006 budget information, and the municipality’s bylaws, code or ordinances. For towns with the town meeting form of government, we also reviewed the website to see if the municipality had posted the town meeting warrant and the town meeting results. In the previous review, the town meeting warrant and results were included in one category.

With the help of a number of Common Cause Massachusetts volunteers, updating the review took over three weeks to finish, just in time for Sunshine Week. The Massachusetts Campaign for Open Government website has been updated a little as well, but we intend to make it even easier to use and more informative over the next couple of months.