“If it’s public information, then it should be on the website.”
Shawn O'Neil, Selectman Chairman
Danville, New Hampshire
The town of Danville, New Hampshire (population 4,387) has nothing to hide. It made the news earlier this month when it started publishing on its website lawsuits brought against the town. Not many towns, large or small, do that. So why Danville?
As it turns out, this town is all about disclosure. Town leaders say that if it’s public information, it should be on the website. They’re not kidding. I clicked on the Danville website, and it is a treasure trove of all things Danville.
It’s all there: Danville TV, which includes video of the meetings of the budget committee, school board, and board of selectmen. Services provided by the town: auto registration, dog licensing, library services, mosquito control, stormwater management, tax rates & tax collector, trash collection, and inspections of every kind—building, plumbing, and electrical. The website boasts some big names, too: Google calendar of events, Twitter feed of police calls, and AccuWeather.com weather report and forecasts. And don’t forget the committees, all the committees: budget, conservatism, forestry, planning, recreation, website, and zoning. Back up: a website committee?
That explains it. While scrolling through Danville's website I was scratching my head trying to figure out who does this. What kind of small town has the time and talent to gather all that information and put it into a neat little digital package? And there it was: a website committee. A team of techies.
This is one town that lives by the maxim “Knowledge is power.” And it found that it doesn’t hurt to know a good techie, too.
Read the Story ® A who's who of sue
Go to ® The Official Website of Danville, NH
No comments:
Post a Comment