JACKSON, NJ – Jackson Township, like many towns across New Jersey, is being inundated with hundreds of requests for documents filed under the state’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
Under OPRA, the township is required to release public documents upon request within a specified time period. The unfortunate downside of the OPRA law is that many towns are being bogged down with backlogs of requests, and they don’t have the manpower to fulfill the requests in the required time period.
This week, the Jackson Council announced the hiring of a new deputy clerk and the extension of OPRA fulfillment to the town’s special labor counsel.
“We realized that clerk’s office is facing a severe backlog and while it took time to figure out a plan, we now have a new deputy clerk and we have authorized the clerk’s office to use a designated attorney with vast OPRA experience to ensure that these requests won’t be delayed if our regular legal team, which reviews the requests is busy,” said Council President Mordechai Burnstein. “If you’re waiting on an OPRA request, please know we’re finally staffed to meet the demands, but please be patient as there is a major backlog they are clearing through right now.”
The addition of new resources for the fulfillment of OPRA requests is in stark contrast to how many other towns are handling the situation, by requesting multiple extensions and prolonged delays due to understaffing.
“We fully support the spirit of OPRA to provide our residents with complete transparency and we’re working hard to make sure our staff can keep up with the demand,” said Council President Jennifer Kuhn. “If we need more resources, we’ll do what it takes, but we promise all legal requests will be delivered to the residents as fast as we can process them.”