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Alamogordo updates public-records notice, centralizes requests with city clerk
Summary
The commission approved a resolution consolidating inspection of public records requests under the city clerk, raising some copy/device fees and signaling staffing and workflow changes to handle a growing volume of requests.
The Alamogordo City Commission voted 7-0 to approve a resolution updating the city’s notice of the right to inspect public records and to centralize public-records requests under the city clerk’s office.
City Clerk Rachel Lucero told commissioners the change will designate a single custodian of public records (the city clerk) rather than three separate custodians (the clerk, the police department, and municipal court). Lucero outlined an expected effective date of Sept. 15 and said the resolution formalizes a new web portal and details such as required request information, response times, inspection hours and costs.
Lucero said the clerk’s office handled 103 requests since January and described email and body-camera requests as especially time-consuming. “Currently we are working on 1 [request] since May, which has over 16,000 emails, and we are almost halfway… the city clerk, the deputy clerk and… an IPRA specialist have been working on this request for 56 hours in total,” she said. She told the commission that the police department reported 729 requests since January, with more than 50% of those for officer body-worn video; staff there are backlogged by approximately 60 requests.
As part of the changes the commission approved, the city will increase paper copy charges from $0.50 to $1 per page as permitted by the Inspection of Public Records Act and will move from CDs/DVDs to USB drives for larger electronic records. Lucero said the USB fee will increase from $7 to $10 to cover material costs. The resolution also states that, in practice, staff will notify requesters of estimated fees and collect payment before producing compiled records.
Commissioners asked about staffing. Lucero and other staff said the city has moved the police records IPRA position under the clerk’s office and hired an IPRA specialist, but said the volume of requests will likely require additional staffing and potentially software to manage redactions and production. The commission approved the resolution; staff said they will return with further staffing and software recommendations as the centralized process operates.
No change to exemptions or redaction standards was proposed in the resolution; Lucero said all disclosures will continue to follow the state statute.
