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Personnel board approves new Right-to-Know and Contract Specialist to handle surge in requests
Summary
The Delaware County Personnel Board approved creation of a Right-to-Know and Contract Specialist position (CODA 30) after officials cited a 67% rise in public-records requests from 2023 to 2025 and increased contracting workload; funding will require a transfer from the county personnel contingency line.
The Delaware County Personnel Board on June 16 approved creation of a Right-to-Know and Contract Specialist in the solicitor’s office to manage a rising volume of public-records requests and heavier contract work.
"Our Right to Know requests, from 2023 to 2025 have increased 67%," said the executive director (speaker S6). He said request counts rose from 514 in 2023 to 858 in 2025 and that requests have become more voluminous and complex, sometimes involving AI tools. Budget Director Hayes (S7) said the role was not budgeted and would require a transfer from the county’s overall personnel contingency line; Hayes said, "so, you know, the 6,200,000 was budgeted in the overall county contingency line...so there should be at least 2.5 to about 2,200,000 left in this to fund any other requests." The motion passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: county attorneys and staff said moving the workflow in-house will improve timeliness and consistency of responses and reduce reliance on outside counsel for contract review. The new specialist will support attorneys, draft communications, assist with appeals and prepare standardized contract documents.
Next steps: the position will be added to the solicitor’s staffing roster, and funds will be transferred from the contingency line as approved by the board. Staff said some outside counsel work will still be required.
