Zac Champigny v. Salem, City of - Legal Department (SPR 20170658)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records May 19, 2017 SPR17/658 Joanne M. Roomey, Paralegal Records Access Officer City of Salem Legal Department 93 Washington St Salem, MA 01970 Dear Ms. Roomey: I have received your petition on behalf of the City of Salem (City) seeking an extension of time to furnish copies of requested records, or any portion thereof. G. L. c. 66 § 10(c ); see also 950 C.M.R. 32.06(4). As required by law, the City provided a copy of this petition to the requestor. G. L. c. 66, § 10( c ). Zac Champigny made a request on April 18, 2017 for City Council meeting minutes. Current petition In your petition dated May 12, 2017 you indicate the City is requesting "an additional 30- day extension" to respond to the request. You also state you "have provided the requestor with an initial response on April 25, 2017 and received no objection" when you "sought an extension through May 15, 2017." The request Mr. Champigny made on April 18, 2017 pertains to the posting of City Council's meeting minutes online. You indicate Mr. Champigny's request involves a "large amount of records" and there is "lack of available staff to complete the task." Further, you explain "the City Clerk's office has also been engaged in the process of reviewing signatures for a local ballot referendum" which has "absorbed much of the resources of the office in recent days" and "will likely take up more staff time in the coming weeks." Open Meeting Law The nature of Mr. Champigny's request and the content of the responses provided raise issues that invoke the Open Meeting Law. Given that an interpretation of the Open Meeting Law falls within the authority of the Office of the Attorney General (AGO) and not this office, I decline to provide a determination regarding the City's petition for an extension of time to One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832• Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre• pre@sec.state.ma.us

Joanne M. Roomey SPRl 7/658 Page 2 May 19, 2017 produce responsive records. See G.L. c. 30A, §23. It is recommended that the parties contact the AGO should they seek a determination on this issue. Sincerely, Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records cc: Zac Champigny