<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Since this is a problem facing many towns and cities and will continue to face even more, and it is an issue related to the notice requirements for many aspects of local government, this seems like an issue MMA should be taking the lead on with the Legislature. Is anyone aware of any MMA initiative on this topic?</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Bob</div><div dir="ltr"><br><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div><font color="#000099" size="4" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Bob Mitchell FAICP</font></div><div>Planning Consultant</div><div>Land Use, Planning, Zoning, & Training Programs</div><div>151 Tremont Street Suite 23A</div><div>Boston, MA 02111</div><div>617-512-9751 (c)<span></span><span></span></div><div><a href="mailto:MitchellFAICP@gmail.com" target="_blank">MitchellFAICP@gmail.com</a></div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Mar 23, 2022 at 2:52 PM Richard McCarthy via MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org">massplanners@masscptc.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div lang="EN-US" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div class="gmail-m_-2351732783986601092WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Eric,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Welcome to MA.  I suspect the newspapers lobbyists will do the same here if we tried.  I completely agree the time came long ago.  </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Best,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Richard J. McCarthy, Jr.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Town Planner</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">1 Liberty Lane</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Norfolk, MA 02056</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">508-440-2807</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Office Hours- Monday through Thursday 9am to 6pm</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Closed Fridays</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:red">As a reminder, please do not reply all to this email. If you have any questions or comments, email me directly. </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:red"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12pt"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:red">Please be advised that the Secretary of State has determined that e-mail sent by or received by municipal employees is a public record.</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:red"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p><div><div style="border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:none;border-top:1pt solid rgb(181,196,223);padding:3pt 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma,"sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma,"sans-serif""> MassPlanners [mailto:<a href="mailto:massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org" target="_blank">massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Eric Rumsey via MassPlanners<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, March 23, 2022 11:13 AM<br><b>To:</b> Joseph Laydon; Kristina Johnson; <a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank">massplanners@masscptc.org</a><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Massplanners] Legal Advertisements for Planning Board and ZBA Hearings</span></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">A few years ago (when I worked for a municipality in CT), we asked everyone who participated in our public hearings how they had heard about the hearing.  There wasn’t a single person who had seen the legal notice in the paper.  CCAPA, CAZEO (Connecticut Association of Zoning Enforcement Officers), and others lobbied for a change to the statutes to allow posting on websites, etc.  Sadly, the newspaper lobbyists have/had deeper pockets so no change was made.  </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Hopefully here in Massachusetts will have better luck.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:Candara,"sans-serif"">Eric Rumsey</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Candara,"sans-serif"">Town Planner & Conservation Agent</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Candara,"sans-serif"">Economic Development and Planning Department</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Candara,"sans-serif"">Town of Southbridge</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Candara,"sans-serif"">41 Elm Street | Southbridge, MA 01550</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Candara,"sans-serif"">p: 508.764.5402</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Candara,"sans-serif"">e: <a href="mailto:erumsey@southbridgemass.org" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">erumsey@southbridgemass.org</span></a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Candara,"sans-serif"">w: <a href="http://ci.southbridge.ma.us" target="_blank">ci.southbridge.ma.us</a></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div><div style="border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:none;border-top:1pt solid rgb(225,225,225);padding:3pt 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org" target="_blank">massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Joseph Laydon via MassPlanners<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, March 23, 2022 10:56 AM<br><b>To:</b> Kristina Johnson <<a href="mailto:kjohnson@townofhudson.org" target="_blank">kjohnson@townofhudson.org</a>>; <a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank">massplanners@masscptc.org</a><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Massplanners] Legal Advertisements for Planning Board and ZBA Hearings</p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Kristina,</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">You forgot one important point; these consolidated media entities can’t figure out billing.  So not only are the costs high, but we are constantly calling to straighten out billing issues.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">We may be at a tipping point where planners and towns start asking our legislatures to remove the newspaper requirements and to rely on posting on town websites.  Even moving from planning to administration, I continue to be frustrated by the changing costs and billing errors.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Joe</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">_________________________________</p><p class="MsoNormal">Joseph Laydon</p><p class="MsoNormal">Town of Littleton</p><p class="MsoNormal">Assistant Town Administrator</p><p class="MsoNormal">37 Shattuck Street</p><p class="MsoNormal">Littleton, MA 01460</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:jlaydon@littletonma.org" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">jlaydon@littletonma.org</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">978-540-2460</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><div><div style="border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:none;border-top:1pt solid rgb(225,225,225);padding:3pt 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org" target="_blank">massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Kristina Johnson via MassPlanners<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, March 23, 2022 10:44 AM<br><b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank">massplanners@masscptc.org</a><br><b>Subject:</b> [Massplanners] Legal Advertisements for Planning Board and ZBA Hearings</p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br><br>**THIS EMAIL WAS SENT BY AN EXTERNAL SENDER** </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Hello Friends and Colleagues,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">I am curious to know if any of you are having an issue with legal advertisements, as many local and regional newspapers either being consolidated by large corporate media entities,  have a completely online presence, or have changed their billing policies. Both in Hudson and in Framingham (where I serve on the PB), the regional newspaper, the MetroWest Daily News is requiring “pre-payment” for all legal advertisements instead of the traditional third-party billing method.  Thankfully in Hudson we have another newspaper that publishes locally, although their deadlines completely changed our submission deadlines for PB ZBA, as they only publish once a week.  In Framingham, the only other local newspaper is 100% online,  so Framingham will most likely have to raise fees for application filings to cover the pre-payment in order to ensure the provisions of 40A Section 11 are met. I should note that legal advertisements are not cheap!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">What a headache!  Anyone else facing this issue?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Best,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Kristina </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy"">Kristina Johnson, AICP</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif"">Director of Planning &</span><i><span style="font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy""> </span></i><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif"">Community Development</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif"">Town of Hudson,  MA</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif"">President, Mass. Association of Planning Directors</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif"">Tel: 978-562-2989  </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif"">Cell:  857-939-3427</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif"">Email: </span><a href="mailto:kjohnson@townofhudson.org" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:Garamond,"serif";color:windowtext">kjohnson@townofhudson.org</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Lucida Calligraphy";color:black;background:white">Acta non verba</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p> </p><div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><hr size="2" width="100%" align="center"></div><p>This email has been scanned for spam and viruses by Proofpoint Essentials. Click <a href="https://gdsprotect.cloud-protect.net/index01.php?mod_id=11&mod_option=logitem&mail_id=1648047421-e_FLJje6uHs8&r_address=erumsey%40southbridgemass.org&report=1" target="_blank">here</a> to report this email as spam.</p></div></div>
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