Earlier this month, students in Mercer University’s Murphy Center for Collaborative Journalism sent open records requests to agencies in Macon-Bibb, Houston, Jones and Monroe counties in an effort to check their compliance with Georgia’s law and gauge their accessibility to members of the public. You can see a list of all the grades here.
Agency: Monroe County Commission
Records that were requested: A copy of the contract the Commission plans to put forward regarding the matter of the Old Brent Road Bridge project.
When do you first hear back from the agency? My request was filled on Oct. 1 and I heard back the same day.
Did the agency request a fee? Yes, they responded saying the contract copy was not yet available, but that the bids for the project were available “the bid documents are available at $50 for an electronic (pdf) copy or $200 for hard copies”.
Describe the response: I was informed that the contract I wanted to see initially was not yet available. They instead offered me copies of the bids for the project, however for this there would be a fee, so I declined.
Assign a grade for contact/process: A The emails and other contact information for agency employees were readily available on the commission website.
Assign a grade for response: A They got back to me on the same day I made the request. When I was informed the original document I wanted was not yet available, they offered me alternatives.
Grading scale for the ease of contacting agency staff and finding or filing for public records.
A: Agency uses an online portal or has a clearly defined process or contact on its website for requesting public records. An “A” agency may also readily provide the most commonly requested records on its website, including agendas and meeting minutes.
B: Agency has some public information online such as meeting agendas or meeting times, but additional information on how to request public information is not available. There is contact information available for staff.
C: Agency website has contact information for staff but nothing specific about how to request public information.
D: Agency has limited contact information on its website but it is not clearly labeled and/or easily accessible.
F: Agency contact information or how to get public records is not available on the website.
Grade scale for agency’s overall responsiveness and compliance with open records law
A: Provided records within the three-day window or less.
B Acknowledgedf the request within the three-day requirement, but records were provided after three days.
C: Acknowledged the request but then put forth a long timetable for response or requested a high fee or retrieval price for what should be a digital record and/or PDF that could be emailed.
D: Acknowledged the request but no further information or follow-up.
F: No response.
