Michael Pahre looks at the City Council race

Brighton Centered: Councilor McDermott to Step Down: Local Politics to Become Frantic
Posted by Harry Mattison on 5/08/2007 06:42:00 PM

1 comment:

  1. theszak5:46 AM

    _ _ _ _ _ a comment by ... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
    All government documents should be posted to the internet and freely
    available without requests!

    There are states that do this already.

    Our State Supervisor of Public Records, Alan Cote, has already
    proposed this, and also proposed scanning archives to have all govt
    docs, state and city, digitized.

    NO MORE PUBLIC RECORD REQUESTS NECESSARY,
    NO MORE DISCOURAGEMENT VIA HUGE COPYING AND SEARCHING CHARGES.

    You might call his office and see what the progress is 617 727-2832


    _ _ _ _ _ a comment by ... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
    If the City posted the stenographic output of these machines
    (and minutes and reports recived, etc.) to the city website, the
    public could have ready access without having to file a request, and
    they could select the parts in which they were interested.

    If a hard copy were desired or needed, it could be downloaded and
    printed out by the person wanting the hard copy.


    It seems that too many government agencies are still
    looking for ways to do business under the cloak of darkness and use
    things like cost and inconvenience to discourage people from asking
    for information.

    If the notion that the best disinfectant for government business is
    sunshine, then organizations like the City of Boston should WANT
    to make this information available to as many people as possible and
    not just to those who can afford $270/meeting.


    _ _ _ _ _ a comment by ... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
    In the alternative, and consistent with both the letter and the
    spirit of the law, posting this output to the city's website so that
    folks could choose for themselves what they wanted to download and
    print would be acceptable.


    _ _ _ _ _ From: Ann.Braga@cityofboston.gov _ _ _ _ _
    Attached please find the
    City Council's response to your request for information pursuant to
    GL c4 s7 cl.26; GL c66 s10 through 18.
    http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/preidx.htm

    In your April 24, 2007 request of the City Clerk and stenographer
    Ellen Fritch, you requested the stenographic machine output for the
    City Council meeting of either April 11, 2007 or April 4, 2007.

    As the department that has the
    contract with the stenographer, I am responding to your request.

    I have calculated the costs necessary for the copies of the physical
    output of the stenographer's machine (paper tape).

    To make a photocopy of the machine output takes approximately
    one hour of staff time to copy
    thirty minutes of Council meeting stenographic output.

    The hourly wage of the
    lowest paid staff person capable of completing this task is
    twenty-five dollars per hour.

    Each meeting lasted approximately
    three hours, requiring
    six hours of the staff person's time to
    make copies of the original stenographic output, at a total cost of
    $150.00.

    Additionally, the copies themselves will cost
    $0.20 cents per page at an estimated
    600 pages, totaling
    $120.00.

    The check would need to be
    made out to "City of Boston" and sent to me.


    Please contact me regarding
    whether you will want the copies to be made.
    We will begin processing your request upon receipt of the funds.
    Sincerely,
    Ann Hess Braga, Staff Director
    Boston City Council
    http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil
    Ann.Braga@cityofboston.gov
    Ann.Braga at cityofboston.gov

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