You can now find more Clifton City Council documents online. Here's where and why

CLIFTON — Residents, or anyone interested in what the City Council is up to, will have a much easier time now that all agenda materials will be posted online.

Since the March 19 council meeting, agendas and all backup materials can be found on the city's website. Before that, only the bulky packet full of hard copies was available from the City Clerk's Office. Residents needed to request the packet from the clerk, review it and ask for copies of the information they wanted.

The website has memos, received bids and other pertinent documents the City Council members discuss during the twice-monthly meetings.

This decision to post these documents for the public came shortly after Councilman Chris D'Amato was sworn in to the council in February to fill the seat previously held by the late Councilwoman Lauren Murphy, who died in January. D'Amato pushed for the council to provide the documents online for residents who attended the meetings in person or those who watch the televised ones.

"Transparency and resident participation in government is a crucial issue for me," D'Amato said. "We need our residents to know what is happening."

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The clerk's office said the city bought software to allow for the changes, which come a few years after the city began to post applications and related documents filed for zoning and Planning Board applications.

The council will also discuss adding a Zoom or virtual link for its meetings, allowing residents who watch remotely to participate and interact.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Clifton council meeting agendas are now online. How to find them