Journalists take note: Multnomah County has launched a new public record portal designed to streamline the process of obtaining official documents. According to a Media Alert released by the County, starting today, all records requests will need to be made through the Multnomah County Records Center, instead of the previous [email protected] email system.
This change serves to better fulfill Oregon's public records law, which ensures retention of public records and mandates timely, consistent responses to requests. The County has prioritized to quickly implement a universal request management system called GovQA, following its budget allocation in the fiscal year 2024, with the aim of promoting transparency and accountability within government operations.
The Sheriffs Office and Elections Division of Multnomah County are already using the platform and it is expected that all county departments will make the transition by the end of 2025. For departments not yet listed in GovQA, requests can still be sent via email or mail directly to the appropriate department, as per the announcement.
There is a new requirement for reporters and other users who wish to submit a public records request: they must now create a user account on the new system. However, this change is positioned to offer a more user-friendly experience with added features such as consistency and time tracking. "The Communications Office, through the [email protected], will continue to respond to information requests from reporters that are not records requests and answer any questions that may come up when using the portal," Multnomah County officials confirmed.
For those interested in learning how to navigate the new system, there is an FAQ page available detailing the process of creating an account and submitting requests. To explore this resource and the new portal itself, you can visit the link provided in the County's media alert.
