Greensboro and Sunshine Center Join for Open Government Presentation

The North Carolina Open Government Coalition and the city of Greensboro conducted a joint workshop on public records and open government Oct. 22. The two-hour workshop, which was conducted for employees and members of the general public, introduced a new effort by the city of Greensboro to create response protocols to open government requests.

Presenters at the Greensboro program look on as Dr. Connie Book leads the session. Left to right: Greensboro City attorney Terry Wood; Greensboro Chief Deputy and city attorney Becky Jo Peterson-Buie; Eric Fink of the Elon University School of Law; and Greensboro Assistant City Manager Denise Turner.

The proposal, which includes a six-step process for responding to public records requests, strives to have all requests acknowledged in two days and fulfilled in 10 working days.

You can review the protocols being considered by the city by clicking on the link to Assistant City Manager Denise Turner’s presentation to the right.

Elon School of Law professor Eric Fink provided an overview of current challenges with the federal Freedom of Information Act . Dave Levine, also an Elon Law professor, discussed the challenge of retaining intellectual property when records go public.

A robust question-and-answer period was held with employees who had questions concerning compliance with state laws, the impact of federal laws and working with the media in responding to requests.

Another workshop is being planned for the city of Burlington in December. The date, once confirmed, will be posted at www.ncopengov.org.