Hancock County commissioners adopt standardized FOIA request form

The Hancock County Commission on an unanimous voice vote approved a standardized Hancock County Freedom of Information Act request form to formalize how the public requests county records.

The action establishes a single, county-approved form for submitting FOIA requests; officials said the county previously had no standardized written form for those requests.

Commission members moved the item during the meeting and approved it without recorded roll-call votes. A staff member noted the county had not previously had a “formalized or standardized form” and presented the proposed document for adoption. After brief acknowledgment there was no further discussion and the commission voted “Aye.”

The change is administrative: the form standardizes how members of the public request records but the commission did not attach any new fees, timelines beyond existing law, or substantive changes to public-records law during the vote. The county did not provide further detail in the meeting about where the new form will be posted; a commissioner said approved packets and documents are made available on the county website after approval.

The meeting record shows the commission took the action during general business following unanimous consent to move to that agenda item. The item was approved during the open meeting; next regular commission meeting was announced for June 12 at 2:30 p.m.