On When it comes to politics, Magnolia is a town divided

Posted on January 17 at 8:55 p.m. ( Suggest removal )

I am the Business Manager of the web design company mentioned in this article. Our company is a leading provider of web sites for Wisconsin Towns and we have had the unique opportunity of meeting with hundreds of Town Board members across the state. Needless to say, with over 1,200 Towns in Wisconsin, we hear stories similar to this from other Towns from time to time...so this incident is not isolated to only this community.

It is not uncommon for Townspeople to video and/or audio record meetings. As a matter of fact, several Town Boards already do this on their own -- especially those Towns that have a partnership with Charter Communications (as asked by another reader's comments below). They are able to re-broadcast their Town Board meeting on the public access TV channel supplied to them, as well as school plays, concerts and other public functions. Some Towns even upload the video-taped meetings to YouTube and Google Video.

The next logical step is for a Town to post their information on an official Town web site. The internet provides an easy and affordable medium by which people can obtain public information. Most of the Towns we work with upload copies of their upcoming Agendas, Meeting Minutes, Annual Budget, Comprehensive Plan, Town Ordinances, and Forms & Permits. Those Towns that have a volunteer Fire Department, Police and Recycling center like to include photos of the individuals that help make their community a better and nicer place.

Such a web site provides excellent transparency for the community, especially for land owners that do not live within easy reach of the Town's official posting locations.

Dustin Overbeck
Town Web Design, Inc.