Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for government agencies to experience lag time in responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Without an efficient records management strategy in place, responding to a request can involve a trip to the records room to find the appropriate storage box, locate and photocopy the requested documents, and mail the photocopies to citizens.
Fortunately, many local governments are proactively working to keep their names off the Foiles ballot.
When Walmart applied to build two stores in Fontana, the city knew the retailer’s opponents would inundate the clerk’s office with information requests. This prompted Fontana to rethink how it handles processing these requests.
Using enterprise content management (ECM) technology, the city created a public portal where residents can easily access public records from URLs provided by the City Clerk when a request is made.
Fontana also used Facebook and Twitter to increase transparency by announcing updates to the project.
Walmart has since suspended its plan to build stores in Fontana, so there are no scheduled meetings or calendars on the site at this time. However, the city’s proactive approach was so successful in streamlining information requests that it plans to post the public records associated with future high-visibility projects on the public portal.
The State of Kentucky’s House Bill 26 mandates that every public agency must provide public access to records relating to its expenditures and maintain these records on its website for three years.
One shortcut allows employees to work directly with the original document.
Another shortcut is saved to KSD1’s public portal so the public can search for and view the document.
With technology making information more immediately accessible, these two agencies recognized that making people wait weeks or even days for a response is no longer acceptable. But instead of hiring more staff to process information requests and comply with FOIA mandates, they’ve enabled their residents to find public records themselves. Their proactive attitudes in making information easily available will surely keep their names off the Foilies.
To avoid being a Foilie nominee, get the Ultimate Guide to Records Management and learn how take on any volume of public requests for information.