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Town clerk to respond after public‑records request seeks proposals and attachments
Summary
The town received a public‑records request (Feb. 12) seeking copies of proposals submitted in response to RFPs; the clerk said the town must promptly acknowledge receipt and determine whether responsive records exist, and recommended making records available at town hall if appropriate.
Debbie Jones, the acting treasurer, told the board she had received a public‑records request on Feb. 12 that sought electronic copies of proposals submitted in response to RFPs, including attachments, in PDF/Word/Excel format. A board speaker advised promptly acknowledging receipt and checking whether the town has responsive records, noting the statutory response time constraints under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act.
"Debbie received it on Friday... Thursday, February 12th," a participant said during the meeting. The clerk recommended sending an initial response that acknowledges receipt and states the office is searching for responsive records, and suggested that, where copies exist, the town could make them available for inspection at town hall while it confirms the proper production format.
Board discussion noted that many requests are data‑gathering and that the town may find no responsive RFPs if it had not conducted projects above small‑purchase thresholds since January 2023. The clerk recommended reviewing minutes and records back to January 2023 to confirm whether the town has any large projects or RFPs responsive to the request.
The board agreed the clerk should take the lead on responding and that any responsive records would be compiled following statutory requirements; the transcript does not record completion of that response at the meeting.
