City of Bainbridge Island Improves Transparency with Technology

In an effort to further government transparency, the City of Bainbridge Island will launch an Open Public Records (FOIA) Portal on Monday, June 6.

The portal, built by NextRequest, can be found online at bainbridgewa.nextrequest.com or through the City website. The public records portal will help connect the public with information that may already exist online. For example, it can automatically direct people to online information about special projects or financial reports. This allows requesters to quickly and easily find the information they need.

According to City Manager Doug Schulze, “Launching this software is another important step in providing increased transparency to Bainbridge Island residents.”

In addition to increasing transparency, the portal will also allow the City to improve the management and efficiency of their records request process. That efficiency is in part accomplished by allowing residents to easily find information that has already been requested by their community members.

“Implementing the Open Public Records Portal, will result in increased transparency, efficiency and effectiveness” says Public Records Officer Christine Brown. “The new portal will also make it easier to make and check on the status of requests.”