2019-10 - Adopt public records policy

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PUBLIC RECORDS POLICY o facilitate prompt access to public records in good faith and in accordance with the Auditor of State ,Bulletin 2019-003 and to ensure compliance with the Ohio Public Records Act (Ohio Revised Code 149.43), all employees responsible for making City of Lakewood records available to the public are expected to comply with the City of Lakewood's Public Records Policy. Public Records are defined as any item that meets all three of the following definitions: 1. Stored on a fixed medium (for example: paper, computer, film and email) 2. Created, received, or sent under the jurisdiction of a public office; 3. Documents the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the office. Ohio Revised Code 149.011(G) I. Making a Request To facilitate a timely response, members of the media seeking records should submit requests to the Law Department. Any other member of the public should submit requests to the City department having custody or control of the records. If the City department (1) is unsure whether the requested records are public records or may contain information that is exempt under the law (e.g. law enforcement, trade secret, medical information), or (2) receives a records request from an attorney, it is to immediately notify the Law Department for guidance. Although no specific language is required to make a request, the requester must at least identify the records requested with the sufficient clarity and specificity to allow the public office to identify, retrieve, and review the records. * The City may decline to create a record that contains the information requested if the record does not already exist, or to seek out and retrieve records that contain specific information that may be of interest to the requester. Requests may be made in person, by telephone, or in writing (including e-mail). The City may not condition the availability of public records by requiring disclosure of the requester's identity or the intended use of the requested public record. Should it facilitate a response or enhance the ability of the City to identify, locate, or deliver the public records sought by the requester, the City may inquire about the requester's identity and/or the intended use of the information requested. The City may do so, however, only after disclosing to the requester that a written request is not mandatory and that the requester may decline to reveal his or her identity or to provide information about the intended use of the requested information.