The Inside Lane · Opens Nov. 1
Fund the paper trail.
Every scoop starts with a records request. The Inside Lane is how readers pay for them, and for the meeting transcripts and guides like Before the Vote.
In a roundabout, the inside lane is for the drivers going all the way around.
- 76
- issues since May, three mornings a week
- 40+
- public records requests filed this fall
- Free
- every story, guide and record we publish, for everyone
The fall drive
Fill the roundabout.
The fall drive runs Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. Every neighbor who joins or gives lights one stretch of the circle, counter-clockwise, the way Milton drives it.
The Founding Lane
50 of 50 Founding Lane spots left
The first 50 members keep their rate for good and get the founding mark on the wall. Through Dec. 31.
Membership
Choose your level.
One membership covers your household. Cancel any time.
What membership pays for
Everyone gets a turn.
We help neighbors stand up to City Hall.
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Hear it
Every tip gets read.
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Prove it
We pull the records and check every claim before anything is printed.
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Fight it
We publish, ask the hard questions and ask everyone involved for their side.
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See it through
We stay on it until there is an answer.
Ryan Hall
Publisher, The Roundabout
Where the money goes
Member money pays the records fees first.
Anything beyond that keeps the newsletter running: transcripts of Council and board meetings, guides like Before the Vote, the sending and the website.
The ledger
Each month we post the records requests we filed, what they cost and what came of them. The first month goes up here in early December.
A request is listed by number only after its story runs or its records arrive. Pending requests never appear here.
The details
What members get.
The Inside Lane
Office hours
Once a month, an hour with Ryan on your own records requests: what to ask for, what a fee or a denial means and what to do next.
The Inside Lane
The Inside Lane call
Forty-five minutes with Ryan, four times a year, on how the reporting gets done and whatever you want to ask.
The Inside Lane
The December vote
Members pick which Milton nonprofit gets our year-end house ad.
The Inside Lane
The iPhone app
First access to The Roundabout's iPhone app when it launches.
The Inside Lane
The wall
Your name on this page, if you want it there. Ryan reads every name first.
The Center Island
Your dues on the ledger
We credit Center Island dues to a records request we already filed: "paid for by the Center Island." Members don't pick it.
The Center Island
The Center Island Social
Once a year, an evening with Ryan and the other Center Island members: appetizers on us and a look back at the year on the paper trail. Bring a guest. Yearly members are always invited; monthly members after three months.
Join from $10 a month or $99 a year.
Choose your levelOne membership covers your household. No perk is a story: everything we publish stays free to read, member or not.
Before you join
Not tax deductible
The Roundabout is a small business, not a nonprofit. Memberships and gifts are not tax deductible.
Stripe takes the card
Your card number goes to Stripe, not to us. We keep your email, what you picked and your name choice.
Cancel any time
Use the link in your receipt, or manage your membership on our site. You keep it to the end of the month or year you paid for.
Nothing is gated
Every story, guide and record we publish stays free whether you join or not.
The Inside Lane wall
The first name goes here.
Questions
Is The Roundabout still free?
Yes. Every story, guide and record we publish stays free to read whether you join or not. Membership pays for the reporting. It does not unlock anything.
Is it tax deductible?
No. The Roundabout is a small business, not a nonprofit. Memberships and gifts are not tax deductible.
Where does the money go?
Member money pays the records fees first. Anything beyond that keeps the newsletter running: transcripts of Council and board meetings, guides like Before the Vote, the sending and the website. The ledger on this page shows each month what we filed and what it cost.
Does one membership cover my household?
Yes. One membership covers everyone at your address. Anyone at home can come to office hours and the Inside Lane call. Each membership gets one December vote, and Center Island members can bring a guest to the yearly Social.
Do members get a say in what you cover?
No. Members never pick or influence coverage. Center Island dues are credited in the ledger to a request after we file it.
What is the Founding Lane?
The first 50 members, Inside Lane or Center Island, who join by Dec. 31, 2026. You keep the rate you joined at for as long as you stay a member, and your name gets the founding mark on the wall if you ask to be listed.
How do I cancel?
Any time, from the link in your Stripe receipt or at readroundabout.com/support/manage. Your membership runs to the end of the month or year you paid for.
Can I give without joining?
Yes. A one-time gift of $25 or more lights a stretch of the roundabout and renews nothing.
Something else? Write to ryan@readroundabout.com.
