Committee approves general-government updates after debate on public-records custodian language

The Port Edwards committee voted to forward proposed general-government ordinance updates after a substantive debate about how open-records requests will be handled and which positions are the legal custodians of records.

The proposed change gives the administrative support coordinator (Clerk-Treasurer) a prominent role as a point person to receive and process open-records requests, while other language names legal custodians (department heads and elected officials) who maintain original records. Trustees questioned whether an explicit sentence exempting the fire department from the administrative-coordinator process should be deleted or clarified.

Trustee Taylor suggested removing the fire-department exception to ensure the administrative coordinator is the point person who gathers records from custodians: "If you take that off, then the administrative support coordinator...acts as the legal custodian for the village board," he said, arguing that departments should funnel records through the clerk rather than responding directly to requesters. Other trustees noted some fire records are physically maintained at the fire department and confirmed the chief would work with the office to provide requested materials.

After discussion and assurances that the administrative support coordinator would act through legal custodians and consult the village attorney on exemptions, the committee voted to approve ordinance 1 as presented and forward it to the full village board.