Putnam County, GA, Launches Records Request Portal to Allow Remote Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In April 2020, Putnam County, Georgia, went live with a public-facing NextRequest records requests portal, allowing for Open Records Requests from the County to be submitted and processed 100% electronically.

“These are uncertain times for everyone, including the local governments that we serve,” Tamara Manik-Perlman, former CEO of NextRequest, now part of CivicPlus, said in a statement. “NextRequest is useful now more than ever in helping governments to collaborate remotely and asynchronously to provide information to their public.”

The ability to complete work remotely is essential as local governments shift their work from City Halls to living rooms. Putnam County recently shifted its office hours and established remote access to its office computer. As part of this shift, its NextRequest portal will allow the County to respond to, and process records requests remotely.

NextRequest makes it easier to fulfill compliance obligations under current COVID-19 conditions. Public portals can be accessed anywhere with internet access, government teams can collaborate remotely and asynchronously, responses can be automated, agencies can proactively publish information, and common inquiries can be automatically routed to information that’s already available online.

“The public records portal will help connect the public with information that may already exist online.” Lynn Butterworth, Putnam County Clerk‍