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Legal Notices Are an Ongoing Concern
By Carmella Lattizori, Barkhamsted
Mr. Lyndsey Keene raises an issue that has been an area of concern for several years for many towns [Looking for Legal Notices in Barkhamsted, August 16].
When I was elected First Selectman in 1985 there were two reporters at nearly every meeting—one from the Winsted Citizen and another from the Hartford Courant. Every local meeting was covered by competing papers and reported in the next day's edition. Almost every driveway had at least one if not two newspaper tubes. We had substantial circulation of more than one paper. People were well informed regarding town business.
When the Winsted Citizen and Torrington Register were merging (to form what is now the Register-Citizen), I went to the hearings. I was very concerned about news coverage in our small towns. I was assured that the kind of reporting that we were used to would continue. It did not for a variety of reasons.
As news coverage dwindled, newspaper tubes disappeared. It became apparent that legal notices were not widely distributed. The Board of Selectmen agreed that we would place signs at strategic intersections to publicize meetings. Other towns were doing the same. We currently also have a sandwich board in front of Town Hall announcing town meetings. These are the most effective notice of meetings.
There are approximately 1,200 households in Barkhamsted, not including renters in the apartment complexes. If one concedes from Mr. Keene's circulation figures that the Hartford Courant has the most subscribers (212), they represent 17% of households. Some of those subscribers are weekend-only—so legal notices will not affect attendance at meetings. The Winsted Journal has 9% of households and the Register-Citizen 15% based on Mr. Keene's numbers. No matter how one defines substantial, none of the aforementioned seems to fit the description.
The Connecticut General Statute does not preclude using more than one paper. The intent of the law was to compel town government to make every effort to publicize town activities. The law was written in a different time and needs some attention.
Legal notices can cost several hundred dollars each. The cost of notices and attorneys’ fees became the focus of several budget discussions. Those making the decision about where to place notices also must consider the cost.
People attend meetings because of interest and have many ways of finding out about them, including word of mouth. I would remind Mr. Keene that in the spring there was standing room only at the budget hearing and subsequent meeting. Those meetings were advertised in the same way as the meeting which Mr. Keene refers to in his letter.
What’s the solution? One small town received approval to send individual postcards to every household in lieu of legal notices. Attendance at their meetings did not increase.
Carmella Lattizori is former First Selectman of Barkhamsted.
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