The Impact of Growing Public Record Request Complexity
Struggling to keep up with the growing complexity of public record requests while remaining compliant with laws and providing transparency to the public? You’re not alone — and technology can help.
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Featured
Granicus Buys Public Records Technology Firm GovQA
In a press release announcing the news last week, Granicus said the acquisition will boost the strength of its Civic Engagement Platform tool for all governments, and further enable its clients to offer consistent and unified digital, automated services to communities.
“The public record request management sector has been blowing up recently,” said Granicus CEO Mark Hynes. “Clerks, public records offices and city councils are struggling with this. It’s a real pressing challenge.”
The stakes are high, he said, as records requests represent an area where failure to produce results in a timely and efficient manner can spark bad feelings among citizens.” GovQA’s records request technology can dramatically reduce the timeline and complexity of requests; and, when incorporated into the broader Granicus platform, will lead to further process improvements.
Read More | GovTech News
COMPLIANCE
Boston's Public Records Team Expanded
[On Thursday, Aug. 26], Mayor Kim Janey announced new staff positions dedicated to responding to public records requests. With roles added in both the City’s Law Department and in the Boston Police Department, this move will increase the number of staff members dedicated solely to public records transparency.
“I strongly believe that public transparency is the foundation for building public trust and ensuring public accountability,” said Mayor Janey. “Upholding the public records law is a critical way that we deliver a more transparent City government. Too often, it takes too long to review and respond to public records requests. This investment in public records staff will help the City responsibly respond to requests in a more timely manner.”
Read More | City of Boston
LITIGATION
Judge fines Lt. Gov. McGeachin for 'bad faith' violations of Idaho Public Records Act
An Idaho judge has fined Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin $750 for her “bad faith” violations of the Idaho Public Records Act, and also ordered her to pay the Idaho Press Club’s attorney fees and costs for its successful lawsuit challenging her improper denial of public records requests from four different Idaho reporters for public comments submitted to her “indoctrination” task force.
McGeachin claimed an array of exemptions, from several unrelated federal laws, to “executive privilege,” to Idaho public records exemptions dealing with Fish & Game licenses, trade secrets, constituent communications to legislators, law enforcement investigations, Human Rights Commission proceedings and more justified withholding the records. All were “plainly inapplicable,” 4th District Judge Steven Hippler ruled.
Read More | Idaho Press News
PEER RESOURCE
Managing requests for Public Records continues to get harder - the Peers in Public Records Index (PiPRIndex) is proof
As the Gov Tech market leader in cloud-based automated workflow (SaaS) software for governments, GovQA is singularly positioned to provide this actionable barometer for the public records industry.
The PiPRIndex tracks Public Records Requests over time and is showing that the complexity requests continues to increase, rising from Q1 to Q2 2021. View the PiPRIndex to see important trends affecting governments.
Read More | GovQA
GovQA's Upcoming Events
GovQA regularly hosts and moderates roundtables and webinars with partners, associations, customers, and other subject matter experts to create and expand opportunities for state and local government agency members to discuss the challenges they face.
New York State Association of Counties
California CLETS Users Group
League of California Cities Annual Conference
The Peers in Public Records Newsletter (formerly FOIA News) is a bi-monthly e-newsletter brought to you by GovQA. It is a collection of the latest trends in public record requests and government transparency initiatives, shared stories, informative case studies, and actionable knowledge that will help you calm the chaos and keep your organization compliant. Send your comments to peers@govqa.com.
