Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Records topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Shorewood Hills trustees debate open records workflow, redaction and possible consultants
Summary
Trustees discussed outstanding open records requests, whether to hire outside consultants or use technology to ease redaction burdens, and whether trustees should assist with redaction; no contract or consultant was authorized.
Trustees in Shorewood Hills spent part of their Jan. 7 special meeting reviewing the village’s open records request workflow and whether outside help or new technology should be used to speed responses. Trustee Carol Barford said most open records requests have been fulfilled and asked the Board to consider options for completing outstanding requests and improving document storage.
Trustee Dietmar Bassuner urged a forward-looking approach and asked when Administrator Brian Mooney would bring recommendations to the Board. Trustee Kate Ullsvik requested that open records workflow be added to the January regular meeting agenda and said Dane County’s process might offer a useful model. Ullsvik also warned against immediately spending money on consultants, noting that only a few requests remained unfulfilled.
Trustee Shabnam Lotfi reviewed the village’s current vendor (Computer Magic) process and said staff review and redaction of documents are the most time-consuming pieces; she suggested trustees could help with redaction, a proposal Barford explicitly opposed. Lotfi also recommended exploring technological solutions, including artificial intelligence, to assist staff.
No authorization to hire outside consultants or change staffing was recorded in the meeting minutes. Trustees agreed to add the topic to the upcoming January Board meeting for further discussion.
