Public Records Law Series (Webinar On-Demand)
Public records laws affect all local government officials and employees regardless of their job duties. Obligations under the laws include not only providing access to records, but also maintaining and retaining records, redacting records, and protecting confidential information. These obligations vary greatly based on the type of public records involved. To help local governments satisfy their public records obligations, the School of Government is offering a series of five interactive webinars focusing on different aspects of this complicated and confusing area of law.
Each webinar will offer value to a variety of local government officials and employees. In particular, attorneys, managers, clerks, department heads, and elected officials will benefit from all five webinars.
The first webinar will offer an overview of public records laws that will be important to all local government officials and employees regardless of job title or responsibilities. The remaining four webinars will each focus on a particular aspect of public records law that may especially valuable for particular local government staff.
The records retention webinar will be of particular interest to department heads and information technology staff. The personnel records webinar will be especially valuable for human resources staff. The tax, finance, economic development and contracting webinar will of course be aimed primarily at staff working in those areas. The final webinar focusing on attorney communications obviously will be helpful for local government attorneys but also for clerks and elected officials.
Webinars
This introductory webinar provides an overview of public records laws and a review of key exceptions to the right of access. We will also include a special focus on electronic records and the issues regarding "metadata," and present a framework for responding to public records requests. Local government elected officials, attorneys, managers, clerks, human resources directors, finance officers, department heads, and information technology professionals will all benefit from viewing this webinar.
Do you know which records you can destroy and which ones you are required to keep? How transparent would government be if there were no rules about records retention? Public agencies in North Carolina are required to keep certain records and may destroy others. The State Office of Archives and History (within the Department of Cultural Resources) makes the records retention rules and provides resources and training on how to comply with them. Representatives from the State Government Records Branch will join School of Government faculty members for this webinar focused specifically on the records retention requirements for local governments in North Carolina. This webinar will be of particular interest to city and county clerks, and information technology professionals.
Most of the information in the personnel file of a city, county, state or other governmental employee is confidential and the records are not available for public inspection. But that short statement masks a web of complexity. The personnel records statutes do make some information public and it has always been tricky to figure out what information is public and what is not. It has been hard even to distinguish just exactly what information is really part of the personnel file and what is not. And it has been challenging to determine who has the right of access to otherwise confidential information. The difficulties multiplied beginning in 2010, moreover, when the General Assembly amended the statutes to open much more information to public view and imposed obligations to create new public information related to public employees. In this webinar, we will look at the current law, the questions it raises, and the best ways to address those questions.
This webinar provides something for just about everyone in local government -- how our state's public records laws apply to local government finance, tax, economic development, and public contracting. When are bids open to public inspection? Can the public see documents related to a major economic development project or incentive agreement? Are utility bills (and utility billing information) subject to public access? What taxpayer information is available to the public? These and other questions will be answered during this information-packed webinar. A "must-see" for local government officials and staff involved in finance, tax, economic development, and purchasing.
Does the public records law apply to attorney-client communications? When is a local government permitted to close its meetings to discuss matters with its attorney? Do closed session minutes involving attorney-client issues ever become public? What kinds of records are included in the "work product" exception to the public records law? This webinar will cover the many public records law issues relating to local governments and their attorneys. It will be helpful to attorneys, elected officials, managers, and clerks.
Public records laws affect all local government officials and employees regardless of their job duties. Obligations under the laws include not only providing access to records, but also maintaining and retaining records, redacting records, and protecting confidential information. These obligations vary greatly based on the type of public records involved. To help local governments satisfy their public records obligations, the School of Government is offering a series of five interactive webinars focusing on different aspects of this complicated and confusing area of law.
Purchase all five webinars in the series to receive a 10% discount. Click here or the "Purchase" button above and add all three webinars to your shopping cart. The discount will be added at checkout.
To purchase the webinars individually click the links below. Individual webinars are $75 each.
General Topics & Overview
Records Retention
Personnel Records
Finance, Tax, Economic Development & Contracting
Attorney-Client Communications
Faculty Coordinator
