County Court issues statement regarding public records policy
By Logan Bagett on Thursday, February 4th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
CANYON CITY, OR – The Grant County Court issued a release earlier today regarding the court’s policy on public records requests from the news media.
Find the full release below. If you have questions, call the Grant County Court at 575-0059.
(Press release from the Grant County Court)
Statement of the Grant County Court regarding Public Record Policies and the News Media
The Grant County Court is aware that there has been reporting in the news media, and some public concern, about the County’s public record policies.
In August, 2019, the County Court adopted a resolution adopting a public record policy. The policy is modeled after public record policies utilized by many other public bodies in Oregon in compliance with Oregon Public Records Law. Under the policy, requests are to be submitted to the County Court, who then direct requests to the appropriate person or Department at the County. The policy provides that routine requests will be handled by Department Heads, but that more complex requests will be reviewed by County Counsel.
Over the last year or so, there has been considerable focus by the news media on obtaining public records regarding County employees. Typically, such requests must be carefully reviewed by County Counsel because employment-related matters oftentimes implicate sensitive information that is exempt from disclosure by Oregon law and, in some cases, federal law. Violating the privacy or constitutional rights of County employees through the premature or inappropriate disclosure of public records could subject the County to significant liability. Accordingly, the County has to balance its duties to protect the privacy and due process rights of County employees with the substantial public interest in promoting public transparency.
The Grant County Court is committed to complete transparency and accountability to the citizens of Grant County, consistent with state and federal law. The Court is confident that its adoption and implementation of the public record policy is consistent with that mission and focus.
