Website Policy, 15 June 2010
At its July, 2009 meeting, the Community Planning Committee of the Village of Arden created a Website Sub-Committee to be chaired by a member of the Community Planning Committee and to include the Village Secretary and any others who may be appointed by the Community Planning Committee. This sub-committee will be responsible for the Village website - arden.delaware.gov.
At the November, 2009 meeting of the Community Planning Committee, Danny Schweers offered the first draft of a website policy, which was revised, as shown below, after committee members made recommendations. In June, 2010, additional revisions were made but not yet approved, as shown in red.
Website Policies, Draft Two,
19 November 2009 (Edited June 15, 2010)
by the Website Subcommittee of the Community Planning Committee of the Village of Arden, Delaware
(1) The Website Subcommittee of the Community Planning Committee of the Village of Arden (the Subcommittee) is responsible for maintaining the village website and all ancillary Internet media such as videos, blogs, etc. connected to the official workings of the Village.
(2) Content on the website shall include all information a visitor to the website might reasonably expect to find such as a list of elected officers, office hours, a map, a brief history, minutes of town meetings and committee meetings, meeting schedules, a description of how the Village government works, ordinances, information on permits, service information such as trash and recycling, information pertinent to the functioning of the Buzz Ware Village Center, as well as financial information such as budgets and information on the Assessors.
(3) Other content appropriate to the website shall be determined by the Subcommittee or the person responsible for a particular page, subject to the direction of the Community Planning Committee, which creates these policies, and, ultimately, the Town Assembly.
(4) If the Subcommittee or the person responsible for a particular page refuses to post information requested by an elected or appointed town official, reasons for the refusal shall be immediately communicated to the person refused. The person refused may appeal the refusal to the Community Planning Committee.
(5) Information collected about residents shall be kept private subject to a Village privacy policy, which shall be posted on the website (see below).
Submitted by Danny Schweers, Website Subcommittee Chair
Privacy Policy, Draft Two
(based on the State of Delaware's privacy policy)
Welcome to the Arden.Delaware.gov website. This policy is presented here in the form of frequently asked questions. We are committed to maintaining the privacy and security of personal information submitted by all visitors to this site.
Is information collected when I visit the Arden.Delaware.gov website?
When you visit the Arden.Delaware.gov website, some basic information may be collected from your web browser. This information is used solely to help us make this site more useful to visitors, to learn about the number of visitors to our site, and the kinds of technology they use. Basic information that may be collected is:
- The Internet Protocol (IP) Address and domain name used from which you accessed our Portal. The IP Address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer;
- The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
- The date and time you visited our site;
- The web pages or services you accessed at this site;
- The website you visited prior to coming to this website;
- The website you visit as you leave this website; and
- If you downloaded a form, the form that was downloaded.
Will my information be disclosed to third parties?
The Arden.Delaware.gov Portal will not distribute, share, sell, or lease your information to third parties for direct marketing or email marketing purposes. The information collected at this site will remain confidential to the extent permitted by state or federal law. State law may, however, require disclosure upon request of certain information collected at this site should it be deemed "public information" under the Delaware Freedom of Information Act. To learn more about requirements for requests, and information that may be disclosed in response to a request, consult the Delaware Freedom of Information Act, Title 29, Chapter 100 of the Delaware Code.
What if I send you an email?
You may choose to provide us with personal information, as an email with a comment or question. This information is used to improve our service to you or to respond to your request. Sometimes we share your email with other Village committees, officers, appointed officials, and employees who may be better able to help you. By law, we cannot share this information with individuals (including Village employees) that do not require it as a normal part of their official duties. Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, or as required by law, we do not distribute, share, sell, or lease email to any other entities without your consent.
We use your email: to address issues you identify, to further improve our website, or to forward the email to another agency for appropriate action. Once the issue or concern is resolved, this information will not be retained unless required by state law or agency regulation.
Does the Arden.Delaware.gov website require me to accept cookies?
Visitors to the Arden.Delaware.gov website can access the Portal without accepting cookies.
What is a Cookie?
There are two general types of cookies that websites may make use of:
- Session cookies -- these are cookies created by a website that exist only as long as your visit to that website. They are not stored permanently on your computer.
- Persistent cookies -- these cookies are stored on your computer by a website for some period of time and are used when you return to that site in the future.
What exactly does a cookie do?
A cookie provides a way for a website to keep track of a user's internet browsing patterns and preferences. Cookies contain a range of website addresses for which they are valid. When a user's web browser encounters those addresses again, it sends those specific cookies to the Web server. For example, if a user's specific preferences were stored as a cookie, it would save that person from typing in the same information all over again when accessing that service for the second and subsequent times.
What won't a cookie do?
Certain web-based applications operated by Village agencies may require users to establish a user ID and password. When accessing these applications through the Arden.Delaware.gov Portal you will need to separately enter and/or store your user information as required by the agency operating the application. A cookie that is stored on your computer for these applications will not incorporate those separate user IDs and passwords. In other words, should a third party use your computer they WILL NOT have access to personal information (e.g., your name or email address) simply by virtue of having cookies stored on your computer. A third party using your computer MAY BE ABLE to view your personalized accounts when using your computer if you have selected the option that allows a website or service to "remember" your username and password. If you are using a computer in a shared location, or are uncomfortable with this, you may want to avoid this option. If you do not want cookies stored on your computer, you should carefully read the information contained in the next section entitled "What options do I have with respect to cookies?"
What options do I have with respect to cookies?
You can have your browser disable cookies or prompt you before accepting a cookie. Look for the cookie options in your browser under the "Options" or "Preferences" menu.
What if the Privacy Policy changes?
Changes to the Arden.Delaware.gov Portal privacy policy will be posted to this web page for review without expressed prior notification to its visitors. If you have questions concerning this policy, please contact the Village.
Other Sites Linked to This Site:
Other sites that you can reach from the Arden.Delaware.gov website may have different privacy statements. You may wish to review the individual policy statements utilized by these entities. In the event that a link to the privacy statement is not provided, you may want to email the Webmaster and inquire as to the privacy policy employed by that site.
