At the 2023 MACo Winter Conference Academy Core class on the Public Information Act, fellows learned about the uses of the PIA, a county government’s responsibilities relating to the PIA, and how to be a good steward of county information and data.

The Academy for Excellence in Local Governance is a volunteer certificate program for elected and appointed county and municipal officials. The program provides a strong background of necessary skills and knowledge for local government leaders. It was founded by MACo and MML, is facilitated by the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy, and is sponsored by the Local Government Insurance Trust (LGIT).

What kind of information should be released to the public upon request? Many difficulties can be avoided by knowing the answer. This class helps officials and staff at all levels understand the requirements of state law governing requests for public records and suggests best practices for handling those requests.

Speaker: Sara Klemm, Assistant Attorney General, Representative, Public Access Ombudsman, Office of the Attorney General

At the 2023 MACo Winter Conference Academy Core class on the Public Information Act (PIA), Assistant Attorney General Klemm opened by describing the PIA and its guiding principles, and the entities covered by it.

Klemm also went over what counts as a “record,” including the trickier example of social media accounts and posts, and how counties are required to respond to a request.

Importantly, she also discussed possible exemptions to PIA requestions. Bottom line: they are tricky and should often be consulted and confirmed with legal authorities. She also emphasized the importance and power of redaction. When sensitive records are redacted to no longer identify an individual(s), they might now be okay to share.

More about MACo’s Winter Conference:

• Full Program
• #MACoCon Twitter Coverage
• Conduit Street Blog Coverage