Local governments in Connecticut are encountering issues with a new state mandate that requires “Web sites post public meeting minutes within seven days after the meetings.” Local governments are finding this new measure difficult because they don’t have the staff to fulfill the requirement and can’t afford to hire more people. So until they figure out how to fulfill the new requirements they are taking down their Web sites.
I am interested in why Connecticut Web sites, in their current form, are so difficult to edit. This kind of mandate, while inconvenient at first, can challenge local towns to be creative and maybe improve the ways they create Web sites. As well as, how they take minutes and keep records.
How about a wiki for meeting minutes? Live blogging? Video? There is no reason to not use the mandate to find innovative and interactive ways to get citizens involved.
