County administrator proposes transitory text message policy to reduce public records burden
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Summary
County administrator Brian Dansel presented a draft transitory message policy to define short‑term, non‑decision text communications and reduce public records search costs; the clerk will circulate the draft to department heads and elected officials for a two‑week review.
Franklin County Administrator Brian Dansel presented a draft transitory message policy in the Oct. 22 workshop, describing it as a tool to clarify which short‑term text or similar communications are non‑record transitory messages and which must be retained under the Washington State Public Records Act.
Dansel said the policy aims to reduce the county’s resource‑intensive public records searches and litigation risk by setting clear rules for short‑term, nonbinding communications such as scheduling reminders and routine logistics (e.g., ‘‘Hey, commissioner Baumann, make sure that you remember you have a 09:00 meeting tomorrow morning’’). He told the board the policy would define transitory messages, reduce storage costs, and improve records responsiveness.
The administrator asked the clerk of the board to circulate the draft policy to all department heads and elected officials for a two‑week review so stakeholders could suggest additions or edits before the policy is finalized. Commissioners signaled support for the approach and noted the high cost of public records requests tied to lengthy text threads.
No final action was taken; staff will distribute the draft policy and return with revisions after the comment period.