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.
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.