Editor’s Note: Sunshine Request makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Other (indicate in message) Submitted: April 27, 2023 | Updated: May 26, 2023
(April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.
Good Afternoon Sandra (or Ashe County, NC Government Records Officer),
I'd like to make a public records request for the following information under NC Public Records Law.
Ref: https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html
** Please Note: I am simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I am NOT asking to come in person to inspect, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via an electronic medium / format (in which the copy of this record should already exist).
I do not have any additional or further clarifying info to provide to narrow this request, other than what you see in the message below. If it is unclear, or you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law.**
Please provide a list of Employee Names and Salaries for ALL current Ashe County, NC Government employees, as of the present day (date that the query is performed). Please include the following:
1) Employee Name
2) Position / Title / Department
3) Date of Hire
4) Current salary (including hourly wage and salary -- whichever is applicable to the employee)
Ideally, I’d like to receive the responsive records in an Excel format, if possible.
If any / all of this info is already publicly available online, please provide a link to where it can be accessed.
——————
Please note that by submitting this request, I am NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and explanations for those charges upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I can respond.
By Law I am not required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816
The request has been sent solely from the email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me or my Team. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Thank you for your assistance!
Status: Completed
Documents:
Activity:
-
May 26, 2023 2:15 pm
11 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Adam Stumb <[email protected]>
cc: Missy Seivers <[email protected]>,
administration <[email protected]>,
Finance <[email protected]>,
Todd McNeill <[email protected]>
date: May 26, 2023, 2:15 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Hi Missy and Adam,
I have reviewed the file Missy sent on 05/25, and I’ve uploaded it to our website. I’ve marked this request as “Completed”.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Completed -
May 25, 2023 12:18 pm
11 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Adam Stumb <[email protected]>
cc: Missy Seivers <[email protected]>, administration <[email protected]>, Finance <[email protected]>, Todd McNeill <[email protected]>
date: May 25, 2023, 12:18 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Hi Adam,
Thank you for your promptly reply.
I had not realized that Missy also sent a spreadsheet today (05/25) along with her email, as the email message itself gave no indication that one was sent. And, since the attachment was hidden in a “dropdown” on the email. I’ve just now seen the attachment, so that’s my fault for not noticing there was one attached.
I had trouble opening the file, but was ultimately able to download it. I’ll review it and add it to our website.
I’ll be in touch if I have any additional questions, or, once I can indicate to Missy that the request is now “Completed”. I’ll let you know in any case.
My comments about responsiveness, and delays in fulfillment of requests, however, still stand. Please ensure that all public records requests are being fulfilled by the County promptly, and as required under NC Public Records Law.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Response Received from Government -
May 25, 2023 12:04 pm
11 months ago
from: Adam Stumb <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>, Missy Seivers <[email protected]>
cc: administration <[email protected]>, Finance <[email protected]>, Todd McNeill <[email protected]>
date: May 25, 2023, 12:04 PM
subject: RE: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Thank you for the response and the additional information. We have no “legal team” but will share this with our County Attorney.
Missy forwarded you the information you had requested. Please confirm the receipt of that information. Your final statement was not clear and implied that you had not received the spreadsheet: “I will follow up again to check on the status of the request in another 2 weeks, if I haven’t heard anything before then.”
Thanks,
Adam Stumb, MPA, AICP
Ashe CountyCounty Manager
150 Government Circle, Suite 2400
Jefferson, NC 28640
Office – 336-846-5501
Cell – 336-977-3074
“Well, if we’re looking for a shark, we’re not gonna find him on the land.”- Matt Hooper
Status: Response Received from Government -
May 25, 2023 11:38 am
11 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Missy Seivers <[email protected]>
cc: administration <[email protected]>, Finance <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected]
date: May 25, 2023, 11:38 AM
subject: Re: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Hi Missy,
Thanks for your reply.
In regard to replying with the “speed in which [I] seem to have expected” …
I submitted the request to your offices on April 27, heard nothing, and I didn’t follow up again until May 16. I received your initial response on May16 indicating the request was satisfied via an out-of-date employee data URL from 2021. I’m simply following up on my last two emails to you on May 16th and 24th asking that you provide the records that were requested in April.
You indicated today that when the request was submitted in April it was “at the end of [your] fiscal year at a time when all staff are working diligently on the budget for the entire county for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1, 2023.” , and that mine is a very complex and “LARGE” request to fulfill.
The type of basic salary info I’ve requested (Name, Position / Title / Department, Date of Hire, Current salary) is widely regarded and consistently produced as a standard public record as part of the public personnel file of government employees. Many entities in NC have fulfilled my request via email in 1 week, or in many cases 1 day. It is a reasonable “expectation” that a basic request for salary data can be fulfilled in a one month period.
As a member of a small team myself, I fully understand if you have other work responsibilities in addition to processing records requests, or, that this time of year is extra busy due to the budget cycle. However, Under NC Public Records Law, the County is required to respond to and process all records requests “promptly”. You seem to be suggesting that you’re intentionally delaying the fulfillment or response to the request by allowing it to “sit” until staff has availability or feels like addressing — and if so, then I worry you are not processing public records requests in compliance with the Law.
With this in mind, I want to highlight the court case referenced in item #6 of the following article, posted on the NC Press Association website. In this instance: “The trial court held that an unjustified one-month delay in production of records was tantamount to a denial”. http://www.ncpress.com/stories/a-bakers-dozen-for-2022nc-public-records-law,2390
I respectfully ask that legal staff take immediate action to resolve this issue and ensure that all public records requests are being fulfilled by the County as required under NC Public Records Law.
I will follow up again to check on the status of the request in another 2 weeks, if I haven’t heard anything before then.
Thank you for your help.
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
May 25, 2023 9:36 am
11 months ago
from: Missy Seivers <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
cc: administration <[email protected]>, Finance <[email protected]>
date: May 25, 2023, 9:36 AM
subject: RE: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Dear “Sunshine Request Team”
Sincere apologies for not replying to you in the speed in which you seem to have expected. Your request did come in at the end of our fiscal year at a time when all staff are working diligently on the budget for the entire county for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1, 2023. As I’m sure you understand the complexity in correctly putting together such a LARGE request takes time in conjunction with keeping the daily office operations on track and fulfilling the many information requests sent in by other inquisitive citizens and entities. We do appreciate your patience and hope this information assists in serving your purpose.
Have a great rest of your week and a great Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy the company of friends & family as we honor our Country’s Military Members which died in service. This Memorial Day we take time to reflect on the sacrifices of those who served and the families and communities left behind.
Thank You,
M. Seivers
**Editor’s Note: Although we did not realize it at the time of our next response to Missy … it turns out she had actually attached a spreadsheet to the bottom of the email above.
Please see the 1 file referenced (“Salary-info-for-Sunshine-Request.xlsx”) at top left in our Documents section.
Status: Response Received from Government -
May 24, 2023 2:36 pm
11 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Missy Seivers <[email protected]>
cc: administration <[email protected]>, Finance <[email protected]>
date: May 24, 2023, 2:36 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Hi again Missy,
I’m following up on my previous email to you on Wed, May 17, 1:16 PM (7 days ago), in regard to the following public records request:
(April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.I have not received a response.
I’ve copied that email below:
——————————Hi Missy,
Thanks for your message.
The link you sent (https://govsalaries.com/salaries/NC/ashe-county) appears to only be current with employee data as of 2021. Additionally, I’ve reviewed at random some of the employees listed on your site, and the only data fields shown are: Year, Full Name, Job Title, State, Employer, Annual Wage, Pay Plan.
The records request I made was:
Please provide a list of Employee Names and Salaries for ALL current Ashe County, NC Government employees, as of the present day (date that the query is performed). Please include the following:
1) Employee Name
2) Position / Title / Department
3) Date of Hire
4) Current salary (including hourly wage and salary — whichever is applicable to the employee)Ideally, I’d like to receive the responsive records in an Excel format, if possible.
If any / all of this info is already publicly available online, please provide a link to where it can be accessed.
** I am asking for this up-to-date information, as of the present day. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of my records request, please specifically cite why and where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law. **
Thank you.
——————————I will follow up with you again in 1 week, if I do not hear back before then.
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
May 17, 2023 1:16 pm
11 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Missy Seivers <[email protected]>
cc: administration <[email protected]>, Finance <[email protected]>
date: May 17, 2023, 1:16 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Hi Missy,
Thanks for your message.
The link you sent (https://govsalaries.com/salaries/NC/ashe-county) appears to only be current with employee data as of 2021. Additionally, I’ve reviewed at random some of the employees listed on your site, and the only data fields shown are: Year, Full Name, Job Title, State, Employer, Annual Wage, Pay Plan.
The records request I made was:
Please provide a list of Employee Names and Salaries for ALL current Ashe County, NC Government employees, as of the present day (date that the query is performed). Please include the following:
1) Employee Name
2) Position / Title / Department
3) Date of Hire
4) Current salary (including hourly wage and salary — whichever is applicable to the employee)Ideally, I’d like to receive the responsive records in an Excel format, if possible.
If any / all of this info is already publicly available online, please provide a link to where it can be accessed.
** I am asking for this up-to-date information, as of the present day. If you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of my records request, please specifically cite why and where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law. **
Thank you.
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Clarification Requested -
May 16, 2023 2:49 pm
11 months ago
from: Missy Seivers <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>, administration <[email protected]>
cc: Finance <[email protected]>
date: May 16, 2023, 2:49 PM
subject: RE: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.It’s all online, click on the link below.
https://govsalaries.com/salaries/NC/ashe-county
M. Seivers, Clerk
Status: Response Received from Government -
May 16, 2023 2:44 pm
11 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
cc: [email protected]
date: May 16, 2023, 2:44 PM
subject: Re: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Good Afternoon Sandra (or Ashe County, NC Government Records Officer),
I’m following up on my public records request in the email thread above. First sent to your offices on Thu, Apr 27, 6:28 PM.
I have not received any response since sending in the request.
Please confirm receipt to let me know the request has begun processing, and please provide an anticipated date or timeline for its completion.
I will follow up again in 1 week, if I have not heard anything else before then.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
April 27, 2023 6:28 pm
11 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
cc: [email protected]
date: Apr 27, 2023, 6:28 PM
subject: Records Request: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.Good Afternoon Sandra (or Ashe County, NC Government Records Officer),
I’d like to make a public records request for information that may be available in your office.
If you’re not the appropriate party to contact about the request, please provide the correct name and email address of whom I should send it to.
Please confirm receipt to let me know the request will begin processing, and if possible, please provide a rough estimate of when the request may be completed. I will plan on following up again in early May if I have not heard back before then.
Here are the details of the request:
Subject: (April 2023) Request for Ashe County, NC Government: List of all current employees and salaries. As of present day.
Message: “Good Afternoon Sandra (or Ashe County, NC Government Records Officer),
I’d like to make a public records request for the following information under NC Public Records Law.
Ref: https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html** Please Note: I am simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I am NOT asking to come in person to inspect, nor to obtain a printed copy of, this electronic record. I’m requesting explicitly that any responsive info be provided to me via an electronic medium / format (in which the copy of this record should already exist).
I do not have any additional or further clarifying info to provide to narrow this request, other than what you see in the message below. If it is unclear, or you are unable to fulfill any or all parts of this request, please specifically cite where a reason for denial is justified under NC Public Records Law.**
Please provide a list of Employee Names and Salaries for ALL current Ashe County, NC Government employees, as of the present day (date that the query is performed). Please include the following:
1) Employee Name
2) Position / Title / Department
3) Date of Hire
4) Current salary (including hourly wage and salary — whichever is applicable to the employee)Ideally, I’d like to receive the responsive records in an Excel format, if possible.
If any / all of this info is already publicly available online, please provide a link to where it can be accessed.
——————Please note that by submitting this request, I am NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it is not possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and explanations for those charges upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I can respond.
By Law I am not required to provide a name or address to associate with a public records request, but in order to move things along I’d like to clarify that this request is being made by:
Sunshine Request
PO Box 17391
Asheville, NC 28816The request has been sent solely from the email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me or my Team. Please do not commingle or treat that as an alteration or cancellation of my request – I intend to continue to pursue my request.
Thank you for your assistance!”
Thank you!
Status: Sent to Government -
April 27, 2023 1:54 pm
11 months ago
Submitted to Sunshine Request
Status: Pending