Parksley residents press council to post agendas and minutes on town website

Residents at the Feb. 10 Parksley Town Council meeting urged the council to make agendas and minutes publicly available at the town office and on the municipality’s website rather than relying on Facebook posts.

Diann Bendix and Betty Farley said some residents lack internet access and therefore do not see Facebook posts about council business. Bendix asked that minutes be posted to the town website and Farley recommended physical posting in a known public place such as the post office or town office.

Clerk Letitia Greer told the council office staff had not been trained to upload documents to the website and that the town had paid for training that had not yet been delivered. Mayor Wayne Marshall said he had scanned a water-tower document to Facebook in the past but prefers that official minutes be available on the town’s website.

Several council members agreed to work on improving notice: Marshall said newly proposed zoning ordinances would be placed on the website and available at the town office in advance of a public hearing. The clerk also noted procurement rules that affect when the town must advertise for services such as legal counsel; she said whether an attorney must be advertised depends on whether the town expects to pay more than $6,000 in a year.

The council did not vote on a formal change to its posting practices during the meeting; Mayor Marshall asked staff to make proposed ordinances available at the town office ahead of the scheduled public hearing.