Municipalities upgrade to more secure ‘.gov’ web addresses

This summer Sharon updated its municipal website domain to a “.gov” address, with several other Northwest Corner towns following closely behind.

Towns are making the move for cybersecurity and credibility reasons. North Canaan, Kent and Cornwall are all either approved to implement the new, government-approved domain, or are planning to do so if required. Salisbury, which holds a “.us” domain instead of the more common “.org” address among municipal websites, does not have active plans to update its website to a “.gov” domain at this time.

“Security is the most important reason the switch was made,” explained Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan. His strategy to address this issue has been to strengthen the town’s technological infrastructure against cyberattacks and to “build a network that would qualify the town for cybersecurity insurance.” He believes that switching to a “.gov” domain will help the town realize that goal.

To obtain a “.gov” domain, municipalities must apply to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the Department of Homeland Security. This requirement ensures that the “.gov” domain is only available to official U.S.-based government organizations. By contrast, Executive Assistant to the North Canaan Board of Selectman Paul Mattingly explained that maintaining a “.org” domain leaves the site vulnerable to impersonation.

With the upcoming election, Mattingly said that the assurance a “.gov” domain provides is especially timely. When searching for information, about where voter registration occurs or when polls are open, “you want to make sure you’re going to a government website,” Mattingly said. North Canaan has been approved to make the switch..

Kent First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer also confirmed his town has been approved for a “.gov” domain as part of a broader cybersecurity upgrade effort. “As a municipal agent of the town, I need to protect our people’s data the best we can,” Lindenmayer said, citing Kent’s reliance on the internet for many of its municipal processes, like paying taxes, as a major driver for enhanced cybersecurity measures. “Attacks are incessant… even in a small town,” he emphasized.

Currently, Cornwall’s site, cornwallct.org, is run by volunteers. Jane Hall, administrative assistant to the Cornwall Board of Selectmen, said that if a new bill – Connecticut SB 227 – were to pass, the town would then be required to register a site under a “.gov” domain.

The bill would obligate all Connecticut municipalities to register their websites under the “.gov” designation by July 1, 2026. Betsy Gara, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns (COST), said that the bill did not pass at the 2024 meeting of the Connecticut General Assembly, but is expected to be reintroduced in 2025. She added that the new domain comes free of charge to municipalities.

Both Lindenmayer and Flanagan emphasized the importance of preparedness in municipal cybersecurity. Lindenmayer said that four decades in government and the military have taught him that “when you don’t plan it, it happens.”