But norfolkct.org is still up and running
By Leila Javitch

On October 1, several small Connecticut towns in the northwest corner shut
down their Web sites including North Canaan, Harwinton, Colebrook,
Bethlehem, and Litchfield. Town governments were reacting to a state
statute, which had been added to the Freedom of Information Act in a
special session of the Connecticut legislature in June 2008. To comply with
the statute, which took effect October 1, municipalities with working Web
sites were required to post minutes from the meetings of official town
agencies within seven days of the meeting date. It was also mandated that
notices and/or agendas of meetings had to be posted on town Web sites more
than 24 hours before the proposed meeting.
These rules were always in effect for ‘hard copy.’ That is, in the past,
written minutes and notices have had to be delivered to the Town Clerk
within those time constraints. It is the addition of the Web site posting that
has created a burden for many small towns, which have not budgeted for the
software programs necessary or for the wages of the ‘Webmaster’ who must
remain ready and able to post the information.
Fortunately for us, Norfolk is managing at the present time to fulfill
the requirements of the statute. Those responsible for the minutes of town
agencies are getting them in to our volunteer Webmaster, Mary Fanette, in a

timely fashion. Fanette has taken on this responsibility, she says, because
she believes that a flow of information is critical for the healthy
development of Norfolk.
Selectman Sue Dyer is also pleased with the working of the Norfolk
Web site and everyone’s commitment to complying with the Freedom of
Information statute. “I am very happy the Web site exists,” she states. “And
it will continue, unless it becomes a problem.”
The result of the mandate is ironic, to say the least. Established to
make information more readily available, the statute, by becoming a
requirement, has reduced the dissemination of information and
communication. A recent Litchfield County Times editorial entitled
“Litchfield Blackout” states, “Municipalities with Web sites created them as
a way of being connected to residents and others. Rewarding an initiative
meant to provide access and information with a mandate for upgrades that
simply aren’t doable for small towns is nothing but punitive.” Moreover, the
mandate abets any town that prefers not to divulge information. Residents of
several towns have complained that town officials really don’t want to
clarify the process by which decisions are made.
The shutdown has made it likely that the Connecticut legislature will
reconsider this statute. In a response to an inquiry from Bart Russell,
executive director of the Council of Small Towns, Governor Rell’s Legal
Counsel replied, “I can assure you…that it was not the Governor’s intention
to burden towns with a significant new mandate.”