Deputy City Manager Rachel Bianchi and the City Clerk’s Office updated the Sammamish City Council on May 13 about public‑records operations, rising request complexity, a paper‑records management effort called “Project Elephant” and a proposed policy change to require departing employees and elected officials to execute a records‑turnover declaration.

Amber Anderson, Deputy City Clerk, and Sabrina Otnis, the city’s Public Records Officer, described how the city categorizes requests into four classes. They said the city receives more category‑2, 3 and 4 requests this year than last and that many large requests cover multiple subject matters, many people and several years of communications — producing hundreds of thousands of items that require interdepartmental searches and legal review.

Sabrina Otnis said the city tries to respond within the Public Records Act’s five‑business‑day window by taking one of several prescribed steps but noted that full fulfillment of complex category‑4 requests may take more than a year. She said the clerk’s office does not use AI tools to search and review records and emphasized staff coordination and case‑law training for reviewers.

The clerks summarized state reporting requirements. The city’s 2023 report to the joint legislative audit and review committee (JLARC) recorded roughly $912,000 in total public‑records costs; Otnis said about $340,000 of that total was litigation‑related in 2023. The office said it will publish 2024 figures once JLARC reporting is complete.

The clerk’s office proposed two operational initiatives. First, the office will bring a policy amendment to the council for consideration on June 3 that would require exiting staff, commissioners and elected officials to sign a declaration confirming they have turned over public records from personal devices and accounts or identified responsive records. Second, the office is launching “Project Elephant,” an all‑city paper‑records management project to retrieve roughly 1,300 boxes currently stored at Iron Mountain (the city pays about $30,000–$40,000 per year for that storage) and apply the updated state records retention schedule to digitize frequently requested records or transfer archival material to the state archivist.

Council members asked timing and cost questions. Deputy Mayor Amy Lam asked whether 2024 JLARC figures were available; staff said the JLARC report is prepared annually and they are assembling the 2024 submission. Council member Pamela Stewart asked whether AI could help; staff said they are not using AI for records review at present and prefer to follow recommendations from the Municipal Clerks Association and state guidance before adopting new tools.

Staff said they will provide the council with the proposed offboarding declaration for review on June 3 and will return with Project Elephant cost estimates and recommendations when the initial inventory and options are developed. No formal policy change was adopted at the May 13 meeting.