Other (indicate in message) Submitted: September 29, 2023 | Updated: November 8, 2023

(September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

Hello again Gwen, Donna, Sheila, and Mayor (or Records Officer / the Custodian(s) of these Records),

Please reply promptly to the following public records request, which is being made in accordance with NC Public Records Law.
https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html

** 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 should already exist).

I do not have any additional or further clarifying info I wish to provide to narrow this request. If the request is unclear, or 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. **

According to your “City Council Agendas & Minutes” webpage – “The City of Northwest began posting Council minutes on this website in 2019. For copies of prior minutes, please contact City Hall.” Ref: https://cityofnorthwest.com/council-agendas-and-minutes/

I’d like to note that currently, there are only meeting Minutes (and no meeting Agendas) posted on that page. The Minutes that are posted only run through August 20, 2021.

Please provide all other City Council meeting “Minutes” from August 20, 2021 through the present day [on the date the query is performed].
————————————

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 explanations for 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 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!

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.

Status: Government Denied Request

Activity:

  • November 8, 2023 2:38 pm

    5 months ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: City Clerk <[email protected]>
    cc: James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected], Gwen Spicer <[email protected]>
    date: Nov 8, 2023, 2:38 PM
    subject: Re: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    Hi Donna, Gwen, Shiela, and Mayor,

     

    I submitted the following public records request to your offices on September 29th:

     

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: Gwen Spicer <[email protected]>
    cc: Finance Clerk <[email protected]>, James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected]
    date: Sep 29, 2023, 5:37 PM
    subject: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    I replied to Donna’s message back to me on 10/03, and I’ve sent follow up emails to you all about this on October 3rd, 11th, 23rd, and November 01. I haven’t received any reply.

     

    Additionally, the meeting minutes I’ve requested aren’t even available on your website, still, as of this writing.

     

    I did not ask for my records request to be delayed due to an internal effort to update the City’s website. While I understand the City may still be working to update their website, I know from experience that these updates often take far longer than originally estimated. As a result, I have asked repeatedly that you please fulfill my request promptly, and provide me with copies of the responsive records in their current state.

     

    Having made all reasonable attempts to follow up with you since 10/03, and having received no response — I’m going to now mark this request as having been “Denied” by your organization.

     

    Once again, I encourage the City to review your current public records request fulfillment process to ensure you’re addressing all requests in a timely manner, and in accordance with NC Public Records Law.

     

    Thank you.

     

    ~ The Sunshine Request Team

    Status: Government Denied Request
  • November 1, 2023 2:18 pm

    6 months ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: City Clerk <[email protected]>
    cc: James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected], Gwen Spicer <[email protected]>
    date: Nov 1, 2023, 2:18 PM
    subject: Re: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    Hello again Donna, Gwen, Shiela, and Mayor,

     

    I submitted the following public records request to your offices on September 29th:

     

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: Gwen Spicer <[email protected]>
    cc: Finance Clerk <[email protected]>, James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected]
    date: Sep 29, 2023, 5:37 PM
    subject: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    The last update I received was from Donna on 10/03: “We are working on updating our website. All minutes are available for review at City Hall, 4889 Vernon Road, Northwest, NC 28451. I can be reached at the numbers below if someone wants to make an appointment. If not, everyone is welcome to stop in and view all public information. We are hopeful that our website will be updated by the end of October. It is our goal, for the website to be current and more informative.”

     

    I replied to that message and have sent follow up emails to you all about this on October 3rd, 11th, and 23rd. I haven’t received a reply. Additionally, the info Donna mentioned isn’t available on your website as of this writting.

     

    Proactively publishing meeting agendas and minutes on your website is great, because it can reduce staff time and provide greater access to the public. However, in order for this type of Open Data to serve as an effective resource, it’s critical the City keeps those records online and up-to-date. I find it hard to believe that the City possesses no electronic records that are responsive to my request. If this is what Donna is suggesting. The older meeting minutes you have online right now, are all produced from public records that currently exist.

     

    I did not ask for my records request to be delayed due to an internal effort to update the City’s website. While I understand the City may still be working to update their website, I know from experience that these updates often take far longer than originally estimated. As a result, I ask again that you please work to fulfill my request promptly, and please provide copies of the responsive records in their current state.

     

    If I have not received any response in 1 week, I will mark this request as having been “denied” by your organization.

     

    Thank you.

     

    ~ The Sunshine Request Team

    Status: Follow up
  • October 23, 2023 5:07 pm

    6 months ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: City Clerk <[email protected]>
    cc: James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected]
    date: Oct 23, 2023, 5:07 PM
    subject: Re: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    Hello again Gwen, Donna, Sheila, and Mayor (or Records Officer / the Custodian(s) of these Records),

     

    The following public records request was first submitted to your offices on Sep 29, 2023, 5:37 PM.
    Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    I’m following up again regarding my previous emails to Donna, which were also sent to you all on October 3rd and 11th. I have not heard back.

     

    Can you please clarify the info I have requested from Donna on October 03?

     

    To reiterate:
    ———-

     

    My request asked for “… all other City Council meeting “Minutes” from August 20, 2021 through the present day [on the date the query is performed].”

     

    I am not asking for the opportunity to come in person to “inspect” digital copies of records, and I am not asking for the records to be compiled in a special way. 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.

     

    By Law, I am allowed to request these records in any medium in which they are available to you. Therefore, I’m asking for you to please email me those minutes, or send me a link to where they can be accessed. If the minutes are available as google links, or in a google drive folder, etc. that would also be sufficient. I’m making a public records request for public info that is likely available to you in a digital format currently, and therefore it can and must be provided to me in this manner.

     

    I understand that for some time the City has been in the process of “updating their website”, and this may be why the minutes aren’t currently online. However, I do not need to wait to receive the requested records until an unspecified date when the County updates their website. That is considered to be an unjustified delay in the fulfillment of a specific public records request, and it is tantamount to a denial.

     

    If you just mean to say that there are no records of meeting minutes available to you currently in any digital format, and that they are all hard copies in printed paper format, and the City is currently in the process of digitizing them for the website — then please clarify this. If that’s the case, then I will close this request. However, it would be helpful if you provided me with some idea of the date when the City expects the Council Agendas and Minutes webpage to be updated.

     

    Alternatively — If you are actually denying my request as written, then please state this explicitly and please cite where its Denial is justified under NC Public Records Law.

     

    Thank you.

     

    ~ The Sunshine Request Team

    Status: Follow up
  • October 11, 2023 3:59 pm

    6 months ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: City Clerk <[email protected]>
    cc: James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected]
    date: Oct 11, 2023, 3:59 PM
    subject: Re: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    Hi Donna,

     

    I hope you’re having a good week so far.

     

    I’m following up on my previous email. I have not heard back:

     

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: City Clerk <[email protected]>
    cc: James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected]
    date: Oct 3, 2023, 6:04 PM
    subject: Re: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    Can you please clarify the info requested?

     

    Thank you.

     

    ~ The Sunshine Request Team

    Status: Clarification Requested
  • October 3, 2023 6:04 pm

    6 months ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: City Clerk <[email protected]>
    cc: James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected]
    date: Oct 3, 2023, 6:04 PM
    subject: Re: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    Hi Donna,

     

    Thanks for your reply.

     

    My request asks for “… all other City Council meeting “Minutes” from August 20, 2021 through the present day [on the date the query is performed].”

     

    I am not asking for the opportunity to come in person to “inspect” digital copies of records, and I am not asking for the records to be compiled in a special way. 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.

     

    By Law, I am allowed to request these records in any medium in which they are available to you. Therefore, I’m asking for you to please email me those minutes, or send me a link to where they can be accessed. If the minutes are available as google links, or in a google drive folder, etc. that would also be sufficient. I’m making a public records request for public info that is likely available to you in a digital format currently, and therefore it can and must be provided to me in this manner.

     

    I understand that for some time the City has been in the process of “updating their website”, and this may be why the minutes aren’t currently online. However, I do not need to wait to receive the requested records until an unspecified date when the County updates their website. That is considered to be an unjustified delay in the fulfillment of a specific public records request, and it is tantamount to a denial.

     

    If you just mean to say that there are no records of meeting minutes available to you currently in any digital format, and that they are all hard copies in printed paper format, and the City is currently in the process of digitizing them for the website — then please clarify this. If that’s the case, then I will close this request. However, it would be helpful if you provided me with some idea of the date when the City expects the Council Agendas and Minutes webpage to be updated.

     

    Alternatively — If you are actually denying my request as written, then please state this explicitly and please cite where its Denial is justified under NC Public Records Law.

     

    Thank you for your help.

     

    ~ The Sunshine Request Team

    Status: Clarification Requested
  • October 3, 2023 5:13 pm

    6 months ago

    from: City Clerk <[email protected]>
    to: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    date: Oct 3, 2023, 5:13 PM
    subject: RE: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    Hi,

     

    We are working on updating our website. All minutes are available for review at City Hall, 4889 Vernon Road, Northwest, NC 28451. I can be reached at the numbers below if someone wants to make an appointment. If not, everyone is welcome to stop in and view all public information.

     

    We are hopeful that our website will be updated by the end of October. It is our goal, for the website to be current and more informative.

     

    Thank you,

     

    Donna Strickland, CMC, NCCMC, NCCTC

    City Clerk

    910-470-4488 Cell

    910-655-3110 ext. 1

    Status: Response Received from Government
  • September 29, 2023 5:37 pm

    7 months ago

    from: Sunshine Request <[email protected]>
    to: Gwen Spicer <[email protected]>
    cc: Finance Clerk <[email protected]>, James Knox <[email protected]>, [email protected]
    date: Sep 29, 2023, 5:37 PM
    subject: Public records request. (September 2023) City of Northwest, NC Government: All Council meeting Minutes from 08/20/2021 through the present day.

     

    Hello again Gwen, Donna, Sheila, and Mayor (or Records Officer / the Custodian(s) of these Records),

     

    Please reply promptly to the following public records request, which is being made in accordance with NC Public Records Law.

    https://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bychapter/chapter_132.html

     

    ** 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 should already exist).

     

    I do not have any additional or further clarifying info I wish to provide to narrow this request. If the request is unclear, or 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. **

     

    According to your “City Council Agendas & Minutes” webpage – “The City of Northwest began posting Council minutes on this website in 2019. For copies of prior minutes, please contact City Hall.”  Ref: https://cityofnorthwest.com/council-agendas-and-minutes/

     

    I’d like to note that currently, there are only meeting Minutes (and no meeting Agendas) posted on that page. The Minutes that are posted only run through August 20, 2021.

     

    Please provide all other City Council meeting “Minutes” from August 20, 2021 through the present day [on the date the query is performed].

    ————————————

     

    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 explanations for 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 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!

     

    ** 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
  • September 29, 2023 5:31 pm

    7 months ago

    Submitted to Sunshine Request
    Status: Pending