DUBOIS – On Monday night, the DuBois City Council voted to not post the minutes from its meetings and that of other city entities on its Web site.
“The actions of the city council are public. It is conducted in public. It is committed in front of the news. Your minutes are public comments, but they aren’t public until they are reviewed,” said City Solicitor Toni Cherry.
Council noted that the online publication of minutes would require more than the uploading process. It would also require time and effort to type them and then to track their approval by each city entity. This, council noted, would also come at a cost to the city.
According to Cherry, DuBois City currently has a process in place for anyone who wants to review meeting minutes. She said individuals wanting copies of the minutes must fill out the “Right to Know” request and pay a fee for their copies.
“With that being said, I think this is the most transparent board in the state. I make the motion to deny this,” said Councilman Edward Walsh. The council subsequently voted unanimously to not post the city’s minutes online.