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: January 16, 2025 | Updated: February 25, 2025
(January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.
Good afternoon Anthony, Margaret, Jackie, Pam, Lexi, Allen, (or Custodian(s) of these records),
Please reply promptly to the following public records request, which I’m making in accordance with NC Public Records Law. https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html
The type of basic salary data I’m requesting is simple to provide, is very commonly produced, and is widely considered a matter of public record as part of the public personnel file of employees. Many NC entities fulfill requests like this via email in 1 week, and in many cases 1 day. You have also fulfilled a similar request for me before.
Please provide the names and salaries of all current Pender County, NC “Utilities” employees as of the present day [on the date the query is performed]. Please include the following:
1) Employee first / last name
2) Date of hire
3) Position / title / department
4) Salary [including hourly wage, hourly rate, or salary — whichever payment structure is applicable to the employee]
Ideally, I’d like to receive the responsive records in an Excel or other machine-readable format. If any / all of this info is already publicly available online, please provide a link to where it can be accessed.
** I’m simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I’m NOT asking for the opportunity 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 the electronic medium / electronic format (in which the copy of this record already exists). If 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 note that by submitting this request, I’m NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it isn’t possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and clear explanations of those charges upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I respond.
By Law I’m 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 by me and my email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. 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!
** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Status: Completed
Documents:
Activity:
-
February 25, 2025 3:52 pm
3 weeks ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
date: Feb 25, 2025, 3:52 PM
subject: Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Hi Lexi,
To be clear — creating or generating a report of public records that exist, is not the same as creating a new record.
In the future I hope the County will respond to a standard request for current salary data without any issue. This basic data (name, hire date, position, salary) is simple to provide, and is widely considered a matter of public record as part of the public personnel file of employees.
——-
Thank you for providing the updated spreadsheet above as requested. (3:38pm).
I appreciate your help. Later this evening or early tomorrow I will mark the request as “Completed” on our site.
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Completed -
February 25, 2025 3:41 pm
3 weeks ago
from: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 25, 2025, 3:41 PM
subject: RE: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Please see attached.
**Editor’s Note: Please see the 1 file referenced (“Employee-List-2.25.2025.xlsx”) at top left in our Documents section.
Status: Response Received from Government -
February 25, 2025 3:38 pm
3 weeks ago
from: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 25, 2025, 3:38 PM
subject: RE: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Good afternoon,
The County does keep that information. It is not that the County does not want to provide the document. I simply meant we were not going to create a new document. I have already reached out to our Human Resources department to gather the information you have requested per my email to you have 2:49PM. I am not denying your request. I hope I was able to clear up any confusion.
Status: Response Received from Government -
February 25, 2025 2:58 pm
3 weeks ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
date: Feb 25, 2025, 2:58 PM
subject: Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Hi Lexi,
Thank you for your reply.
It is still unclear if you’re saying that the County does not have the ability to provide a record for employee hire date? Or, is the issue simply that they don’t want to provide the records I’ve requested as of the present day? (Even though you’ve provided them in the past).
If the County maintains or stores an electronic record of employee hire date, then you are capable of producing that record, and by Law it must be provided to me.
I’ve made a basic request for current employee salary data. If your method of producing those records requires you to generate a current report or spreadsheet of those data points, that in itself is not a justifiable reason for denial of a request under the Law. You’re not actually creating or compiling a record that doesn’t exist. You’re simply providing the requested records.
Can you please cite explicitly why HR or the County isn’t capable of providing the data I’ve requested? And, where the denial of my simple request is justified under the Law?
Thank you.
Status: Clarification Requested -
February 25, 2025 2:49 pm
3 weeks ago
from: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 25, 2025, 2:49 PM
subject: RE: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.I will reach out to HR to see if they can give a new report with that information.
Status: Response Received from Government -
February 25, 2025 2:43 pm
3 weeks ago
from: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 25, 2025, 2:43 PM
subject: RE: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Correct, our HR department did have one with the hire dates. However, the newest version and most updated version does not include that column, which is what I sent you. An older document may have contained that column, but the newest one does not. If you have any more questions, you’re welcome to reach back out.
Status: Response Received from Government -
February 25, 2025 2:37 pm
3 weeks ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
date: Feb 25, 2025, 2:37 PM
subject: Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Hi Lexi,
I’d like to refer you to the following relevant sections of NC Records Law: https://www.ncleg.net/
enactedlegislation/statutes/ html/bychapter/chapter_132. html §132-6.2. (a)
“Persons requesting copies of public records may elect to obtain them in any and all media in which the public agency is capable of providing them. No request for copies of public records in a particular medium shall be denied on the grounds that the custodian has made or prefers to make the public records available in another medium …”
§132-6.2. (e)
“Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a public agency to respond to a request for a copy of a public record by creating or compiling a record that does not exist…”
“… Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a public agency to put into electronic medium a record that is not kept in electronic medium…”
You’ve stated that the County “does not create new records to respond to request. This is a file we are able to provide as it already exists.” I interpret your response to be related specifically to my request for employee “hire date”. It seems like you’re suggesting the County does not keep a digital record of employee hire date, so you don’t have to create or compile a record that does not exist? Assuming that’s what you meant, then you are technically correct — you are not required to create a record that doesn’t exist.
However, you have provided this exact record to me before on March 25, 2024, so it’s unclear why a record like this can’t be provided again now. Can you please clarify how your employee hire date data is stored / maintained? NC Public Records Law clearly provides the authority for me to request public records in any and all media in which the public agency is capable of providing them. And, that my request in any particular medium shall not be denied because you prefer to make the records available in some other way. Since the public data I’ve requested is likely available to you in an electronic format, it can and must be provided to me in this manner.
Thank you.
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Clarification Requested -
February 21, 2025 6:30 pm
1 month ago
from: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 21, 2025, 6:30 PM
subject: Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Good evening,
Pender county does not create new records to respond to request. This is a file we are able to provide as it already exists.
Lexi Stanfield
Clerk to the Board / Admin Assistant
(910) 259-1200
Status: Clarification Provided -
February 21, 2025 4:32 pm
1 month ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
date: Feb 21, 2025, 4:32 PM
subject: Re: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Hi Lexi,
Thank you for providing the updated spreadsheet above on 02/19.
My request called for the following:
1) Employee first / last name
2) Date of hire
3) Position / title / department
4) Salary [including hourly wage, hourly rate, or salary — whichever payment structure is applicable to the employee]
– The initial spreadsheet you sent on 02/12 contained the following fields:
Last Name, First Name, Job Class Code Desc, Location Code Desc, Personnel Status Code Desc, Annual Pay
– The revised spreadsheet from 02/19 contains the following fields:
Last Name, First Name, Job Class Code Desc, Personnel Status Code Desc, Annual Pay
I’ve noticed that the “Date of Hire” was not provided in either case.
Can you please send me the updated spreadsheet to include, “Location Code Desc”, and “Date of Hire” ?
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Clarification Requested -
February 19, 2025 9:09 am
1 month ago
from: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 19, 2025, 9:09 AM
subject: RE: [External]Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Please see attached.
**Editor’s Note: Please see the 1 file referenced (“Pender-County-Salaries-February-19-2025.xlsx”) at top left in our Documents section.
Status: Response Received from Government -
February 14, 2025 4:00 pm
1 month ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
date: Feb 14, 2025, 4:00 PM
subject: Re: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Hi Lexi,
Thank you for providing the spreadsheet above.
The document indicates that this data is only up-to-date as of 10/11/2024. However, I’ve requested current salary data “as of the present day”.
Can you please clarify whether you are able to provide current data as requested? If not, please explain this and please cite where a reason for the denial is justified under NC Public Records Law.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request
Status: Clarification Requested -
February 12, 2025 4:20 pm
1 month ago
from: Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>
to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
date: Feb 12, 2025, 4:20 PM
subject: RE: [External]Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Good afternoon,
Attached it our employee census with the salaries. We do not have a list of utilities specific employee salaries.
Thank you.
**Editor’s Note: Please see the 1 file referenced (“Employee-Census-as-of-10-11-24.xlsx”) at top left in our Documents section.
Status: Response Received from Government -
February 12, 2025 3:53 pm
1 month ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
cc: Margaret Blue <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected], Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>, Allen Vann <[email protected]>
date: Feb 12, 2025, 3:53 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Hi Anthony, Margaret, Jackie, Pam, Lexi, Allen,
This is my second attempt to follow up with you all regarding the following public records request I submitted to your offices on 01/16/25:
(January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.I have not received any response since submitting the request, nor to my follow up email about this on January 29.
Under NC Public Records Law, you are required to “promptly” process all public records requests. Essentially, this means that if you intentionally delay the fulfillment of a request by allowing it to “sit” until staff has availability to address it, or feels like answering emails, then this could be considered a denial of a request. 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
Having made reasonable attempts to follow up on my request, and having received no response since submitting the request — if I do not hear back in 1 week, I will mark the request as having been “Denied” by your organization.
Thank you.
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
January 29, 2025 4:37 pm
1 month ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
cc: Margaret Blue <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected], Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>, Allen Vann <[email protected]>
date: Jan 29, 2025, 4:37 PM
subject: Re: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Good afternoon Anthony, Margaret, Jackie, Pam, Lexi, Allen,
I submitted the following public records request to your offices on 01/16/25:
(January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.I have not received any response since submitting the request.
Please confirm receipt of my request to let me know it has begun processing, and please provide an anticipated date for its completion. I will follow up again in 1 week, if I don’t hear anything else before then.
Thank you for your help!
~ The Sunshine Request Team
Status: Follow up -
January 16, 2025 5:31 pm
2 months ago
from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
to: [email protected]
cc: Margaret Blue <[email protected]>, [email protected], [email protected], Lexi Stanfield <[email protected]>, Allen Vann <[email protected]>
date: Jan 16, 2025, 5:31 PM
subject: Public records request. (January 2025) Request for Pender County, NC Government: List of all current “Utilities” employees and salaries. As of the present day.Good afternoon Anthony, Margaret, Jackie, Pam, Lexi, Allen, (or Custodian(s) of these records),
Please reply promptly to the following public records request, which I’m making in accordance with NC Public Records Law. https://www.ncleg.net/
enactedlegislation/statutes/ html/bychapter/chapter_132. html The type of basic salary data I’m requesting is simple to provide, is very commonly produced, and is widely considered a matter of public record as part of the public personnel file of employees. Many NC entities fulfill requests like this via email in 1 week, and in many cases 1 day. You have also fulfilled a similar request for me before.
Please provide the names and salaries of all current Pender County, NC “Utilities” employees as of the present day [on the date the query is performed]. Please include the following:
1) Employee first / last name
2) Date of hire
3) Position / title / department
4) Salary [including hourly wage, hourly rate, or salary — whichever payment structure is applicable to the employee]Ideally, I’d like to receive the responsive records in an Excel or other machine-readable format. If any / all of this info is already publicly available online, please provide a link to where it can be accessed.
** I’m simply requesting an electronic copy of an electronic record, if one exists. I’m NOT asking for the opportunity 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 the electronic medium / electronic format (in which the copy of this record already exists). If 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 note that by submitting this request, I’m NOT agreeing to pay any potential fees or associated costs related to my request. If it isn’t possible to process the request without incurring fees, then please let me know the itemized potential cost and clear explanations of those charges upfront, and DO NOT proceed until I respond.
By Law I’m 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 by me and my email address [email protected] . If anyone other than that email address contacts you to pursue a similar request, it did not come from me. 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!
** Sunshine Request (www.sunshinerequest.com) makes no claim as to the veracity of any statements or information contained in any of the requests, or public records, we receive.
Status: Sent to Government -
January 16, 2025 5:28 pm
2 months ago
Submitted to Sunshine Request
Status: Pending