Clerk: issue papers can be published day of meeting; board approves limited pre-release

The Meriwether County clerk briefed the Board of Commissioners on June 24 about a 90-day review of CivicPlus (CivicClerk) functionality and the legal limits on publicly releasing full agenda packets before meetings. The clerk concluded the software does not provide automatic redaction, and items that may contain legally protected or personally identifying information must be redacted by hand.

"The legal responsibility for what's released publicly lies with me as the custodian of records," the clerk said, describing examples of content that commonly requires redaction, including employee addresses, personal phone numbers, health information and Social Security numbers. The clerk noted staffing constraints and said an administrative assistant in training this fall will help but that final compliance remains the clerk’s responsibility.

After discussion, including commissioners’ requests that citizens have better advance notice of topics, the board voted to adopt option 3 presented by staff: release issue papers (informational summaries) publicly on the day of each meeting while withholding more sensitive materials until staff can perform manual redaction or until after the meeting. One commissioner said releasing issue papers by noon on meeting days would give citizens enough time to prepare.

The clerk emphasized that last-minute agenda additions might not have materials available in advance and that any public release must comply with exemptions in the Georgia Open Records Act. Commissioners asked the clerk to explore on-screen display of packets during meetings so attendees could follow along while the clerk retains custody of full packets for legal review.

The board’s motion specified issue papers only, not full packets, to reduce the county’s legal risk while increasing public transparency.