Drafter
Clerk 12/13/2010
Title
AN ORDINANCE related to public access to electronic records and information; amending Ordinance 12550, Section 1, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.14.010, Ordinance 12550, Section 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.14.020, Ordinance 12550, Section 3, and K.C.C. 2.14.030 and Ordinance 12550, Section 4, and K.C.C. 2.14.040 and adding a new section to K.C.C. chapter 2.14.
Body
PREAMBLE:
King County strives to be an accountable and transparent government, and has recently adopted significant legislation to further this goal.
In October 2009, the council adopted Ordinance 16679, clarifying the policies surrounding how public records requests are handled in King County. Companion legislation, Motion 13087, was also adopted, providing guidance for best practices for county agencies when responding to public records requests. These pieces of legislation codified the county's public disclosure process, expanded transparency and openness in government and eased the disclosure process for the public.
In May 2010, the council adopted Ordinance 16838, providing a policy framework to make county data available on a single website to allow for the development of web or mobile applications. The legislation encourages innovation, entrepreneurship and job development, and increases public access to government information.
In July 2010, the council adopted Ordinance 16897, which approved and adopted the King County strategic plan, which includes priorities to make government more accountable and accessible, with a culture of service excellence and public engagement.
Additionally, many county agencies are using social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to engage the public and to create a more effective and transparent government. The use of social media is an important communication tool. As the use of social media evolves and increases, the council believes it would be helpful to provide guidance to ensure that county communications using social media com...
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