Transparency, Commonwealth v. Lawrence, City of - Office of the City Clerk (SPR 20261670)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records May 6, 2026 SPR26/1670 Eileen O’Connor Bernal City Clerk City of Lawrence 200 Common Street, Room 107 Lawrence, MA 01840 Dear Ms. O’Connor Bernal: On May 5, 2026, this office received your petition on behalf of the City of Lawrence (City) seeking an extension of time to produce records. G. L. c. 66, § 10(c); G. L. c. 66, § 10(d)(iv); see also 950 C.M.R. 32.06(4). As required by law, it is my understanding that the City furnished a copy of the petition to the requestor, Commonwealth Transparency (requestor). G. L. c. 66, § 10(c); G. L.c. 66, § 10(d)(iv)(2). On April 17, 2026, the requestor sought the following records “for the time period January 1, 2023 through April 17, 2026:” Any insurance policy(ies), including declarations pages, exclusions, list(s) of covered locations and values, and/or any other documents in your possession or under your control for the risks of loss related to torts: theft of, damage to and destruction of assets; errors and omissions; and natural disasters. This request specifically includes but is not limited to policies for the following specific perils/coverages[:] Common Contract Conditions; Auto Liability; Auto Physical Damage; Cyber Liability Coverage; General Liability; Property; Crime; Equipment Breakdown; Public Officials Liability; Law Enforcement Liability; School Board Liability; Workers’ Compensation; Umbrella/Excess Liability[.] Petitions 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: 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

Eileen O’Connor Bernal SPR26/1670 Page 2 May 6, 2026 (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). If the Supervisor determines that the request is part of a series of contemporaneous requests that are frivolous or designed to intimidate or harass, and the requests are not intended for the broad dissemination of information to the public about actual or alleged government activity, the Supervisor may grant a longer extension or relieve the agency or municipality of its obligation to provide copies of the records sought. Id. The filing of a petition does not affect the requirement that a Records Access Officer (RAO) must provide an initial response to a requestor within ten business days after receipt of a request for public records. 950 C.M.R. 36.06(4)(b). Current Petition In its petition, the City requests an extension of 10 business days and provides the following in support of its request: We have a staff member who has had a death in the family and she is the person most knowledgeable on the insurance policies, coverage and liability. She left the country for the funeral and is expected back next week. I find that in light of the capacity of the City to produce the request without the extension, the City has established good cause to permit an extension of time. G. L. c. 66, § 10(c)(iii). The City is granted an extension of 10 business days. Conclusion As described above, I find the City has established good cause for a time extension of 10 business days. Please note, the requestor 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(c), 10(d)(iv)(4), 10A(c).

Eileen O’Connor Bernal SPR26/1670 Page 3 May 6, 2026 Sincerely, Manza Arthur Supervisor of Records cc: Commonwealth Transparency