Angela Olson v. Westhampton, Town of - Office of the Town Clerk (SPR 20212009)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records August 16, 2021 SPR21/2009 Ms. Cheryl Provost Office of the Town Clerk Town of Westhampton 1 South Road Westhampton, MA 01027 Dear Ms. Provost: I have received your petition on behalf of the Town of Westhampton Office of the Town Clerk (Office) seeking an extension of time to produce records. G. L. c. 66, § 10(c). As required by law, it is my understanding that the Office furnished a copy of this petition to the requestor, Attorney Angela Olsen. Id. In a letter dated July 26, 2021, Attorney Olsen requested various records related to “application or requests for issuance of… building permit[s]” within the possession of the Office. Petition for an Extension of Time Under the Public Records Law, upon a showing of good cause, the Supervisor of Records (Supervisor) may grant a single extension to an agency not to exceed 20 business days and a single extension to a municipality not to exceed 30 business days. In determining whether there has been a showing of good cause, the Supervisor shall consider, but shall not be limited to considering: (i) the need to search for, collect, segregate or examine records; (ii) the scope of redaction required to prevent unlawful disclosure; (iii) the capacity or the normal business hours of operation of the agency or municipality to produce the request without the extension; (iv) efforts undertaken by the agency or municipality in fulfilling the current request and previous requests; (v) whether the request, either individually or as part of a series of requests from the same requestor, is frivolous or intended to harass or intimidate the agency or municipality; and (vi) the public interest served by expeditious disclosure. G. L. c. 66, § 10(c). 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

Ms. Cheryl Provost SPR21/2009 Page 2 August 16, 2021 Current Petition The August 6, 2021 petition states that the Office requests an “extension beyond August 30.” The Office explains, “[t]he wide scope and extent of the search for records on this subject will require additional time due to the extended span of time, the multiple departments involved, and the volume of records that require review.” Conclusion I find that in light of the above, the Office has established good cause to permit an extension of time. See G. L. c. 66, § 10(c)(i)-(iv). I hereby grant the Office an extension of 30 business days to furnish copies of records responsive to this request. See G. L. c. 66, § 10(c). Please note, Attorney Olsen has the right to seek judicial review of this decision by commencing a civil action in the appropriate superior court. See G. L. c. 66, § 10(d)(iv)(4),10A(c). Sincerely, Rebecca S. Murray Supervisor of Records cc: Ms. Angela Olsen, Esq.