SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — The City of South Fulton’s open records process is changing after a resident brought a lawsuit against the county.
That resident said before filing the lawsuit, when he'd submitted a request under the Georgia Open Records Act, there were delays and excuses that he claimed broke state law. Now, he and other residents are excited they'll be able to access the information they need to hold city officials accountable.
“I’m feeling good,” said South Fulton resident Reshard Snellings.
He's an active resident who has requested records about the day-to-day activities of city officials, but he has experienced a roadblock, including high fees.
“I did different records, and I was getting invoices anywhere from where from $60 to as high as $4,000, when I requested some items," Snelling said. "That made me think they were trying to hide something, and they were using invoices to prevent me from getting the records."
According to the Open Records Act, agencies may impose a "reasonable charge" for records, calculated based on the lowest-paid employee's hourly salary with no fee for the first fifteen minutes. Copying incurs a charge of $0.10 per page or the actual production cost. Additionally, electronic records may incur charges based on the actual cost of the media used for storage.
Snellings said he paid some of the invoices to see if they'd be released and that the city provided him with documents that were redacted beyond what the law allows.
Following the lawsuit filing and months of mediation between Snellings and the city, the two agreed on how public records requests would be processed going forward.
“We’re weren’t so much trying to get a particular set of records, as we were trying to address the consistent delays and non-response,” Joy Ramsingh, Snellings' Attorney, said.
According to Ramsingh, the city is now required to create a set procedure for public records requests, post that process, and clear expected fees online. In addition, she said the city must complete training for its employees and citizens on the " ins and outs of the Public Records Act."
11Alive reached out to the city regarding the lawsuit; in response, the city said,
“The City of South Fulton reaffirms its unwavering commitment to transparency and compliance within standards of the Open Records Act. At the forefront of our efforts is dedication to ensuring that citizens of South Fulton have access to requested information.”
As for Snellings, he said things should have never gotten this far.
“No resident should ever have to take the city to court in order for them to abide by the law that they are supposed to uphold,” he said, adding that he'd first approached the attorney general and district attorney, but neither helped him.
It’s also important to note that the changes the city of South Fulton is implementing go above and beyond what the law requires, adding a level of transparency rarely seen in the state.