Public Notice: Law Department Moving to a Temporary Location - Learn More
On June 3, 2016 Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed An Act to Improve Public Records into law. Many of the provisions in the law take effect on January 1, 2017.
You may submit your request to the City's RAO via our Public Records Portal for your convenience.
If you have a question or require assistance, please contact the City of Worcester Records Access Officer below:
City of Worcester, MA
Records Access Officer (RAO)
Michael Vigneux
Law Department
455 Main Street, Room 303
Worcester, MA 01608
VigneuxM@worcesterma.gov
Worcester Retirement
Records Access Officer (RAO)
Lisa Poske
Worcester Retirement
455 Main Street, Room 103
Worcester, MA 01608
retirement@worcesterma.gov
Under the law, RAOs must provide public records to a requestor in an electronic format unless the record is not available in an electronic format or the requestor does not have the ability to receive or access the records in a useable electronic format.
Please note: many commonly requested records, including annual reports, minutes of open meetings and agency budgets are already available on the City of Worcester website.
Under the law, RAOs must permit inspection or furnish a copy of a requested public record within 10 business days following receipt of the request. RAOs may petition the Supervisor of Records for an extension if they are unable to grant access to the requested public records in this time period.
Under the law, RAOs are allowed to charge 5 cents for black and white paper copies or computer printouts of public records for both single and double-sided sheets.
Additionally, if a response to a public records request requires more than 2 hours of employee time, RAOs may assess a fee of the hourly rate of the lowest paid employee with the skills necessary to search for, compile, segregate, redact or reproduce a requested record. However, the fee shall not exceed $25 an hour, unless approved by the Supervisor of Records.
Under the law, if a municipality fails to comply with a requirement of the law, the requestor may file an appeal with the Supervisor of Records who will then issue a determination on the public status of the records within 10 business days of receipt of the request for an appeal.
The complete text of the law can be found online:
An Act to Improve Public Records
