Burrillville council adopts resolution opposing proposed changes to public‑records rules

The Burrillville Town Council on Feb. 11 adopted a resolution opposing proposed changes to the state’s public‑records law, citing concerns that the measures would increase the workload and liability faced by town staff.

At a council meeting, Vicky — identified in the record as the correspondent who prepared the letter — described the volume of requests her office handles. “Just the sheer volume of records requests that I get on a regular basis is astounding for a town our size,” she said, saying she had multiple requests due the same week and that processing and redaction had required work outside normal hours.

Councilors raised practical concerns about the legislation, including the potential to reduce page‑fees and shorten allowable processing time, which they said could force clerks to spend unpaid overtime and redact sensitive information from police records. One councilor said some requested payroll records required redaction “for personal reasons,” which increased staff time.

Councilors discussed alternatives, including relying on league guidance and monitoring how the bill fared in committee. After discussion, a motion to adopt a resolution opposing the proposed changes was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.

The resolution directs town leadership to record the council’s opposition to the statewide proposal and to pursue further action if the bill progresses through the legislature. The council did not provide an exact vote tally in the meeting record.

The next procedural step is that the town will circulate the adopted resolution to state officials and may revisit additional action if legislative language changes or the measure advances in committee.