From the Greenville Daily Reflector (1/20/10): Like many states, North Carolina enacted its public records law to define the relationship between people and their government. It intends to keep citizens informed of decisions by affording them access to all manner of documents utilized in the public realm, and is therefore sufficiently broad to encourage governments to err on the side of openness.
The Pitt County Board of Education should therefore tread carefully as it seeks to update its policy governing public records requests, which has remained in place since 1996. Hasty action might discourage public participation and make the board less transparent, possible consequences that are simply not acceptable.
Last week, the school board’s policy committee recommended changes to the system’s public records law that could have wide-ranging implications. If adopted, the per-sheet cost of copying a public document would drop to 3 cents from 15 cents, but would impose a service fee on some requests that would equate to $20.08, using the average administrative assistant salary as a benchmark.
Those changes represent a vast improvement over the original proposal, which would have required citizens to complete a lengthy form when making a request. It was explained as a way to clarify the request and make it easier for Pitt County Schools staff to comply, but would likely have discouraged the number of requests due to its extensive nature. Dropping that part of the policy revision was appropriate if the school system did not intend to alienate citizens.
However, it still threatens to do so by making the cost of public requests beyond the reach of all citizens. That, at least, is the fear but it is risky to make broad statements about the possible impact of these changes due to a lack of information about them. The school system does not track requests so it cannot say for certain the number that would be affected should the school board adopt this proposal. Nor is there a clear guideline as to when the service fee would apply and when it would not, leaving unwelcome uncertainty in any effort to determine its effects.
While it is true that citizens are expected to pay a nominal fee for public records, Pitt County Schools must be careful to make sure the doors of government are always open and that its operations are plainly visible. The school board would do well to judge this proposal by those measures to ensure the access to government records intended by state law will not be infringed.
Greenville Daily Reflector Staff Editorial