Dayton enhancing transparency in the public records request process

As a citizen, you should expect your local government to lead the way in transparency, accountability, and civic engagement by providing essential public information to citizens and stakeholders.

This access not only empowers individuals to actively engage in democracy but also enables informed decision-making and holds elected officials accountable. Recognizing the fundamental importance of transparency, the city of Dayton has made significant investments in upgrading technology and streamlining processes to ensure that information is easily accessible and readily available.

In 2023, the city received a total of 2,243 requests for public information, marking a notable increase from the 1,071 requests received in 2022. To manage this surge in requests, the city introduced an online portal accessible through its website. Next Request allows requesters to create profiles and submit requests seamlessly. Additionally, requesters can receive updates and notifications about their requests’ statuses through the portal. This system not only simplifies the process but also enhances tracking and management capabilities, ensuring timely responses and minimizing the risk of oversights or delays in fulfilling requests. Since implementing Next Request, the average time for requesters to receive information from the City is roughly nine days.

Additionally, the city has been ramping up efforts to digitize frequently requested information, thereby enhancing accessibility and ease of retrieval. Platforms like Dayton Open Data offer citizens a transparent overview of the city’s finances in detail. Through the Police Transparency Portal, numerous interactive dashboards provide comprehensive crime and arrest statistics, call for service numbers, as well as data on the utilization and deployment of technologies like automatic license plate readers. For insights into how the city allocates funds from the 0.25% tax increase approved by voters in 2016, citizens can access the Your Dollars, Your Neighborhood portal.

These dashboards and portals undergo regular updates to ensure access to the latest information. Moreover, all budget presentations, finance committee briefings, appropriation ordinances, and special engagement reports (e.g., 2023 community engagement budget sessions and online survey results) are routinely published and easily accessible on daytonohio.gov. Additionally, recordings of all City Commission meetings and work sessions are available on our YouTube channel and website for public access.

Processing information requests and digitizing records requires time, resources, and careful attention to detail to ensure compliance with legal requirements and safeguard sensitive information. Dayton like other cities operate under tight budgets and limited manpower, further complicating the task of managing a high volume of requests. We appreciate your understanding as we steadily work to implement improvements in the interest of fostering an informed community and ensuring transparency in government.