PORT ANGELES — Clallam County will have a new public records officer Monday, but it’s not paying for a new position.
The clerk of the county’s board of commissioners, Trish Holden, will take over the role of public records officer. That position is currently held by county Auditor Patty Rosand.
A public hearing on the change is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. April 20 in the room 160 of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
Holden will be considered the interim public records officer until the county receives public input and formally transfers that role from the auditor to the board clerk.
The move is in response to a growing number of public records requests.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols told the commissioners in January that the county now receives about 1,000 requests per year, which is a “dramatic leap” from before.
Not enough time
County Administrator Jim Jones said Rosand, as the county’s auditor, doesn’t have the time needed to handle the increased load, and the county feels that the board clerk will be more appropriate for the job.
The county was considering hiring a new staff person to act as the public records officer, said Jones, but the county can’t afford it.
Also contributing to the increased workload is a request that the county has spent 300-plus staff hours addressing, Jones said.
But Nichols said he is working with the requestor, who has been cooperative, to narrow down the request.
The city of Port Angeles also is dealing with an increase in records request over the last few years, City Manager Kent Myers has said.
To handle the additional load, the city has moved to more brief meeting minutes intended to give the city clerk more time to spend on requests.
Jones said nothing else is being changed in the public records policy. Except for the name of the person filling the role of records officer, the process of filing a request won’t be any different.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.