The Town of Middletown is getting even more transparent on “Middletown TV.”
Recently, the Town Council signed off on a plan to record the meetings of the Technical Review Committee and Middletown Economic Development Advisory Committee and load that information on the town’s website at MiddletownRI.com online.
The move was the idea of Councilman Dennis Turano, who said both groups talk regularly in the early stages about issues that are important to the town. And by seeing the evolution of the dialogue from the beginning, Turano said everyone would be better informed and have a wider appreciation for what’s being suggested.
“I think the information that they’re putting forward is very important,” Turano said. “The Middletown Economic (Advisory Committee) basically is talking about TIFFs (tax plans), they’re talking about tax reform, they’re talking about just a lot of things that end up in front of us.”
Once the TRC and MEDAC meetings start recording in coming weeks, the announcement brings the total number of Middletown meetings online for public viewing to six. They also include the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Town Council and Zoning Board of Review.
All recordings are available anytime for free 365 days a year at https://middletownri.com/online-services/middletown-tv/online.
The step is another by the town to promote accessibility and openness of its government and all things Middletown. The town’s website and social media channels feature a robust overview about what’s happening in the community from updates about the schoolsto features about outstanding employees, ongoing projects and volunteer efforts.
The town is also in the midst of a total overhaul of its website. The goal of that effort is to spotlight such information in a more user-friendly manner that works better for residents, businesspeople and visitors.
The revamped site is expected to be unveiled in late March.In the meantime, the town continues to work hard to improve what it already has, information that will be carried over to the new website at MiddletownRI.com once it goes live.“
Personally, I think it’s a good idea to video (these meetings),” council President Robert J. Sylvia said.
“They talk about planning, zoning and there’s a lot of good thoughts that go into it and I think it’s important that the people have the ability to see all the thoughts that go through these issues and about these issues and I think it’s important from a transparency standpoint…” Turano said. “These two groups are very influential in the decision process and what’s being proposed to the Town Council.”
