Sunday marked the start of the annual National Sunshine Week, which runs March 16-22 this year. Started in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, Sunshine Week is a national initiative that brings together news organizations, advocacy groups, and residents to discuss the importance of open government and freedom of information.
This week you may be contacted by one of the above groups asking about your city’s commitment to open government. We encourage you to prepare a few talking points or facts to share if you are contacted.
Washington state has one of the strongest open government laws in the country, and cities are committed to open and transparent government. The Public Records Act (PRA) went into effect more than 40 years ago and continues to provide the public with direct access to government records. Beyond complying with the Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act, cities work constantly to engage their residents in local government through regular information-sharing and community outreach.
In Washington, cities and towns that spend more than $100,000 in a year responding to public records requests are required to report their public records response data to the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee. Cities that don’t meet the spending threshold can voluntarily report their data but are not required to report for that year.
In 2023 (the most recent data year), 57 Washington cities and towns reported a total of 176,354 public records requests—accounting for over 40% of all public records requests to public agencies that submitted data. This represented a 9% increase in records requests processed by cities from the year before.
Responding to requests requires skilled and dedicated staff. In 2023, cities reported that staff invested over 366,000 hours responding to records requests and cities spent over $97.5 million responding to records requests and maintaining public records. AWC greatly appreciates public records staff and the many hours they commit to managing records and staying up to date on current laws.
Open government training and resources
Did you know that city elected officials are required by law to complete open government training within 90 days of taking office, with a refresher every four years? (This means new officials who took office on January 1, 2025, must complete open government training by March 31.)
One convenient way to fulfill this training requirement is to watch our on-demand eLearnings on the Public Records Act and Open Public Meetings Act.
Find more information on Washington’s open government laws:
We wish everyone a happy and productive Sunshine Week!