Policy & Disclaimers

Notice of Information Practices Policy and Disclaimer

Welcome to the City of Sanford’s (the “City”) web site. Individuals who visit this web site are important to us. Because visitors to our web site are important, we try not to capture personal information about them without their permission. We endeavor to collect only the minimum amount of information needed to meet the purposes for which the web site was created. PLEASE NOTE THAT BY VISITING THIS SITE, YOU ARE ACCEPTING THE POLICIES SET FORTH HEREIN.

Public Disclosure
All information collected on the City’s web site will be treated the same as any written communication and is subject to the confidentiality and public disclosure provisions of 1 M.R.S.A. Chapter 13.  You should be aware that the statutes contained in that Chapter may require the City, upon request, to disclose this information to the public or other third parties.

Personal Information
Personal Information is information about a party that readily identifies that specific party. It includes, for example, that party’s name, street address, e-mail address or telephone number. Personal Information will not be collected unless you voluntarily send an e-mail message, fill out and send an online form, or fill out personal information and send in a survey. Your choice not to participate in these activities will not impair your ability to access certain information; however it may impair your ability to use some of the services offered on this web site. Unless specifically protected under law, any Personal Information provided may be inspected by the public or disclosed in a legal proceeding.
E-commerce activities on this web site are voluntary. You may choose to submit Personal Information in a registration form or by paying for services on this web site; credit information will be held only for the time needed to process the payment and then the record will be destroyed. Personal financial information will be submitted via a secure socket layer thru VeriSign With Credit Card Encryption and held only by municipal officials. In some, but not all, instances, personal financial information is protected from disclosure by law. If it is not protected, then it may be inspected by the public or disclosed in a legal proceeding.

Statistical Information
We may collect some or all of the following information about visitors who view or download information from this web site:
  • Date- Date the visit occurred.
  • Time- Time the visit occurred.
  • Client IP Unique Internet Protocol (IP) address- The IP address recorded is normally that of the visitor’s Internet service provider, e.g., aol.com if the visitor connects from an America Online account.
  • Server IP Unique Internet Protocol (IP) address of the web server accessed.
  • HTTP Status Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) error code, e.g., “404 Requested Page Not Found.”
  • HTTP Request Identifies the web page or file requested by the web site
  • URL visitor.
  • Bytes Sent Amount of data sent from the web server to web site visitor during that connection.
  • Bytes Received Amount of data sent from web site visitor to the web server.
  • User Agent Type of web browser or other client software that made request to the web server.
  • Referrer Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that referred to the requested file.
  • Protocol Version Version of HTTP used by the visitor’s web browser software.
This information may be gathered automatically when you visit the City’s web site. The information we collect is used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. We analyze our web site logs to continually improve the value of the materials available on our site. The information in our web site logs is not personally identifiable, and we make no attempt to link it with the individuals that browse our web site. Some of this statistical information, such as a running count of the number of visitors, may be displayed on the web site or shared with other governmental agencies to aid in the provision of better services to the public.

E-Mail
E-mail messages sent to any municipal address will be treated the same as any written communication. They may be subject to public inspection or legal disclosure and may be saved for a period of time in compliance with the “Maine State Archives Rules for Disposition of Local Governments Records” before they are destroyed. E-mail or other information requests sent to the municipality will be maintained in order to respond to the request, to forward that request to the appropriate agency, or to provide the web designer with valuable customer feedback to assist in improving the web site. E-mail addresses obtained as a result of a request to this web site will not be sold or given to private companies for marketing purposes. However, we may use your e-mail address to maintain contact with you in connection with City matters. We may also request and receive a confirmation when you open e-mails from us if your computer and e-mail systems support these capabilities.

Electronic Forms
Any other information provided by you at the request of the City, such as the completion and electronic filing of a form, will be considered to be voluntarily provided by you and will be treated in the same manner as information provided to the City in written form or in person .

Sharing and Disclosure of Information
Any information provided to the City may be subject to public inspection and legal disclosure, as provided by law, and may be saved for a period of time before it is destroyed. It may be shared with another agency of the City or any governmental until or agency for appropriate action. The City may share any information (including, but not limited to, Personal Information) that it obtains with its employees in order to permit the City to perform its functions. In addition, the City employs companies and individuals to perform some functions on its behalf. Examples may include third parties who evaluate data that we receive in connection with specific projects and programs, as well as our attorneys and other contractors. We may share information that we have about you with these parties as necessary to permit them to perform the functions for which we retain them.
The City may also release Personal Information and other information gathered from or about you when we believe that this is required: (a) by applicable law; (b) by a court order or the order of a governmental agency or body (including, but not limited to, subpoenas) that has the power to issue such orders; (c) to protect our rights, property, safety or security, or that of others; (d) to prevent the commission of a crime or other illegal act; or (e) to maintain the integrity and functioning of this web site and the City’s activities.

Surveys
Surveys will be used for the purpose stated. If personally identifiable information is collected it may be subject to public inspection and legal disclosure and may be saved for a period of time before it is destroyed.

Cookies
Cookies are small text files that a web server may ask your web browser to store, and to send back to the web server when needed. Cookies may be used to store a transaction identifier or other information that a user may provide. The “help” portion of the toolbar on most Internet browser programs will tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies or how to disable cookies altogether. You can refuse the cookies or delete the cookie file from your computer by using any of the widely available methods.

Changes to Policy/Statement
The City’s operations change constantly. As a result, the City may modify the terms of this Notice of Information Practices Policy at any time. Use of any information that we obtain or collect at any time will be governed by the terms of this Notice of Information Practices Policy in effect at the time that we obtain or collect that information. We may communicate changes in this Notice of Information Practices Policy to you by posting these changes at the City’s web site, but we are not required to do so. You should check the Notice of Information Practices Policy each time you access the City’s web site in order to determine if it has changed.

Procedures for Access and Correction
If you have questions about our privacy procedures, please contact The City Manager or call The Manager's Office at (207) 324-9173 or write to:
Office of the City Manager
Sanford City Hall
919 Main Street., Sanford, ME 04073

Third Party Links
The City’s web site may contain links to other web sites owned and/or operated by third parties. The City is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those other sites, including any policies concerning cookies or other information gathering techniques used at those sites, or concerning the use of any information that is gathered at those sites. It is possible that information gathered at those third party sites will be shared with us or others. You are advised to check those web sites’ privacy statements and to be cautious about providing personal information without a clear understanding of how the information will be used. This Notice of Information Practices Policy does not apply to third party web sites linked to the City’s web site.

Disclaimer
The City is not liable for any failure to follow the policies set forth in this Notice, or any changes to this Notice, even if that failure results from the City’s negligence or error, unless that failure is intentional. Neither the City nor its agents, officers, officials, employees or agents, warrant the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any information posted on this web site nor endorse any products or services linked from this web site, and the City shall not be held liable for any losses, damages or claims caused by or related to reliance upon the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of any such information. Portions of the information may be incorrect or not current. Any person or entity that relies upon any information obtained from this web site does so at that party’s own risk. By visiting the City’s web site, you agree that any litigation concerning this Notice, the City’s privacy practices, and the use or content of that site, must be brought in a court located in York County, Maine or in a federal court located in Cumberland County, Maine, and you agree that you are subject to the personal jurisdiction of any such court for these purposes.