Almost 120 cities and towns, including Newton, will be honored by Common Cause on Thursday for posting government records online as part of the national Sunshine Week project.
Pam Wilmot, executive director of the nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog group, said the honors are meant to highlight the importance of making public records accessible to taxpayers online.
The event is part of the ongoing Massachusetts Campaign for Open Government, in which Common Cause periodically reviews the Web presence of all 351 cities and towns in the state. The first assessment in September 2006 found only 24 communities, about 7 percent, had all six key records posted online, Common Cause said.
On Thursday, 117 cities and towns will be honored, including: Ashland, Bellingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Maynard, Newton, Northborough, Sudbury, Upton, Weston and Wrentham.
The six documents included in the review are: The municipality's governing body's agenda; the governing body's minutes; budget information; the city or town's bylaws, code or ordinances; and, if applicable, the town meeting warrant and results.
"It's time to bring local government into the 21st century," Wilmot said in a press release. "The Internet makes it easy and cost-effective to facilitate public access and citizen engagement by, at a minimum, posting these six key records.
"More and more people rely on the Internet for critical information each day," she said. "Communities that provide this information are providing an important service to their citizens."
The most recent audit of all municipal Web sites will be released at the ceremony Thursday at 1 p.m. in Nurses' Hall at the State House.
Wilmot said representatives from each community will be presented with the 2009 e-Government Award. The event is part of Sunshine Week, a national initiative created by the American Society of Newspaper Editors intended to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.
