DARIEN, Conn. For residents who want to keep up to date on when town boards will be discussing issues such as the Hoyt Street sidewalks, affordable housing, the Shuffle project or dog leash laws, the information is available in a number of locations. The town's website and information posted in Town Hall make it easy for citizens to know when boards will be meeting and what they will be discussing.
Major boards such as the Selectmen, Finance, Education and the Representative Town Meeting schedule their meetings well before the start of the year. Their schedules are spelled out on their respective sections of the town's website. At the beginning of each week, a schedule is posted on the bulletin board at the entrance of Town Hall that includes all meetings and other events for that week.
According to state law, agendas must be posted at least 24 hours in advance of a meeting. Many agendas are posted on the website well before this deadline, so that anyone interested can check to see what will be discussed. The agendas detail what topics will be talked about and what action items the board will be voting on, as well as time for public comment. If a meeting is cancelled for any reason, a notice will be posted on the bulletin board as well.
Darien's government access station, Channel 79, is another valuable tool for those wanting to keep up to date on the goings-on at Town Hall. Each weekend a schedule is emailed out of all the meetings that will be taped, links to their agendas and when they will be rebroadcast. In addition, every meeting of the Board of Selectmen and the RTM is archived on the town's website for those who missed the meeting and want to watch it online.
The town clerk's office is where all the minutes are filed from each town meeting. Drafts of the minutes are also posted onto the website about a week after each meeting, though they are subject to revision at the board's next meeting.
The names and phone numbers of every member of all the boards are also available online for citizens to contact with any question.
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