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Sequim reports steady public-records volume; body-worn camera review requires substantial staff time
Summary
The city presented its annual public-records report showing steady request numbers and a significant staff time burden for body-worn camera and large-email search requests; staff recommended better self-service portals and noted potential future staffing needs if volumes grow.
Sequim’s records officer told council the city processed a comparable number of public-records requests in 2024 and that certain request types—particularly body-worn camera footage and large email searches—consume large amounts of staff time.
Talina Sandene, the city’s records officer, described the request workflow: all requests are logged and tracked in the NextRequest portal, subject-matter departments search for responsive records, and the certified public-records officer coordinates review and redaction. Sandene said that complex requests may require hours of review: for example, one request involving 37 body-worn-camera clips took more than 10 staff hours to process, and another email search returned 6,900 messages with only 260 responsive items after review.
The city now charges for large requests consistent with RCW and its fee schedule: paper copies above 50 pages, electronic copies beyond a free threshold, and a 75¢ per minute staff-review charge for noninvolved-party body-worn-camera footage. Sandene said the Laserfiche and NextRequest portals have improved efficiency and redirected many routine inquiries to self-service, but she warned a new dash-cam rollout could increase camera-footage processing time.
Staff time reported across departments totaled several thousand hours in 2024 for public-records work. Sandene said the city will continue encouraging self-service and electronic access and that council should expect staff to raise FTE requests if public-records burdens continue to grow.
Why it matters: public-records transparency is legally required and resource intensive when requests require redaction, multimedia processing or searching large email sets. The city’s plan to expand self-service portals aims to reduce staff time and costs while preserving public access.
