New Shelter Island supervisor aiming for transparency —Town website changes due in two weeks
No one likes change, but in this case, a new town website expected to be rolled out on Valentine’s Day promises to be more user friendly and helpful to those trying to follow activities of boards and committees.
Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams said at Tuesday’s work session she plans a walk-through of what will be where on the site, and how to access backup materials for meetings, as well as how to sign up for information on specific meetings, including agendas, changes in schedules and other pertinent information.
That public session will happen at the Feb. 13 Town Board work session, with a target of Feb. 14 for the roll out of the new site.
Ms. Brach-Williams also said at the Feb. 6 work session, that she and Town Board members will be prioritizing the many initiatives on tap, and talking about timelines for getting work done on those priorities.
She has already made several changes in meeting patterns to provide more opportunities for public input, and moving agenda items forward so attendees who want to speak about specific issues can do so earlier in meetings.
Although work sessions are designed for Board members to discuss issues, there are other issues that people raise, and Ms. Brach-Williams said she doesn’t want to make them sit through two hours or more of discussions before they have the chance to ask questions or make statements important to them.
She added that she’s concerned that agendas, backup materials and notices are posted at least 24 hours in advance and has, since taking office, often posted information more than 24 hours in advance.
