Documents: upload, name, expire

Documents pile up on public websites faster than pages: agendas, minutes, budgets, forms, maps, reports, flyers. Many sites hold thousands of files that nobody has opened in years, several versions of the same form and scanned pages that a screen reader cannot read.

This lesson is three habits: upload a document only when it should be one, name it well and give it an end date.

Before uploading: should this be a page?

If the content is something residents read on a phone, such as hours, fees, a notice or instructions, make it a web page. A web page works on every screen and with screen readers, and it is easier to keep current.

A document makes sense when the file itself matters: a signed contract, an adopted budget, a map, a form that must be printed, the official version of minutes.

Uploading an accessible document

Under the Department of Justice's 2024 Title II rule, documents you post after your compliance date must meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA, like pages do. ADA.gov lists the dates: April 26, 2027 for governments serving 50,000 or more people, and April 26, 2028 for smaller governments and special districts.

In practice:

• Start from an accessible source. Use real headings, lists and alt text in Word or Google Docs, then export to PDF with tags. Section508.gov has free guides for each program.
• Do not upload scanned images of typed pages. A scanned page is a picture of text. If you only have paper, retype it or run it through text recognition and check the result.
• Fill in the document title in the file properties. Many PDF readers show it instead of the file name.

Naming files

Name files so they sort by date and say what they are:

• 2026-11-10-select-board-agenda.pdf
• 2026-budget-adopted.pdf
• dog-license-application.pdf

Lowercase, hyphens between words, no spaces, no "final" or "v3." The date goes first in year-month-day order when the document belongs to a date, so a folder of agendas sorts itself.

Replacing a document

When a form or report changes, replace the file at the same address if your editor allows it. Links elsewhere on your site, on other sites and in old emails then get the new version. If your editor cannot replace in place, upload the new file, update every link to it and remove the old one.

Never leave two versions of a form online. Residents will fill in the wrong one.

The exceptions, and their limits

ADA.gov describes two exceptions that matter for documents:

• Preexisting documents: PDF, word processing, presentation and spreadsheet files posted before your compliance date usually do not need to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. The exception does not cover documents "currently being used to apply for, access, or participate in" a service, and updating an old document can remove its eligibility.
• Archived web content: content created before the compliance date, kept only for reference, research or recordkeeping, held in a special archive area and not changed since it was archived. All four conditions must be met.

Forms people still use, and old documents you edit, need to be made accessible.

Expiring documents

Give every document an end date when you upload it:

• Event flyers: the day after the event.
• Agendas and packets: move to the archive on the schedule your records policy sets.
• Forms: a review date, at least yearly.
• Reports: move to the archive when superseded.

Website files can be public records. Your state archives or records office publishes retention schedules for local governments. Check yours before deleting anything, and ask your clerk which schedule applies.