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Council appoints Deputy City Clerk Kelly Getats as public records officer
Summary
The Bellingham Committee of the Whole voted to designate Deputy City Clerk Kelly Getats as the city’s public records officer, shifting day-to-day public records processing from the City Attorney’s office to the City Clerk’s office. Council approved the appointment by motion.
The Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole voted to approve the appointment of Deputy City Clerk Kelly Getats as the city’s designated public records officer.
The change, staff told the council, shifts day-to-day processing of public records requests from the City Attorney’s office to the City Clerk’s office while retaining legal advice from the City Attorney’s office. Senior Assistant City Attorney Sarah Chaplan said the move responds to rising workload: "In 2016, the city received approximately 1,200 public records requests. Last year the city received almost 5,000," she said, citing technology changes that have expanded where records must be searched.
City staff described the transition as operationally sensible because the clerk’s office manages citywide records governance and technology tools such as OnBase and Microsoft Purview. Kelly Getats, introduced as the deputy city clerk, told council staff have been preparing since early 2025, that the city has filled a budgeted position to coordinate requests and that a Washington State Archives technology grant helped the city acquire a large-format scanner used for fulfilling certain public requests.
Council member Williams moved to approve the appointment, which was seconded by Council member Huffman. The council recorded the motion as passing with six in favor and one excused. The motion will be forwarded for final consideration at the full council meeting that evening, staff said.
The change will leave Chaplan and the City Attorney's office to continue providing legal advice on disclosure matters while the clerk’s office handles intake, searching, redaction and operational response work. Staff noted planned training, updated records-management policy and adoption of software tools to make responses more consistent across departments.
The council’s action: formal approval to appoint Kelly Getats as the city’s public records officer; the item will be advanced to the full council meeting for final action.
