If you’d like to make a request to see official public records relating to things such as business licenses, county police and fire records or historical information, the City Clerk’s office has implemented a web portal Public Disclosure Requests.
U.P. Ordinance 478 states that citizens be given access to public records. Although requests for public records can be made through the City’s Public Records Request Center or through the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, this online portal enables citizens to make requests outside of normal office hours (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.).
“We’ve tried to make this a user-friendly experience that enables people who make requests to be able to track the progress of their requests and see previous requests,” said U.P. City Clerk Emy Genetia. “After creating and using a personal log-in, the system uses a key word identification process. Our goal is to build on and create a robust system of archived public records. We also have links to the county’s records site for any records that are dated prior to August 1995 when the City of U.P. was incorporated, as well as Police, Fire, or other records not maintained by the City.”
The new portal features commonly asked questions so that users can quickly see the legal and administrative requirements for fulfilling their request. “One of the most common questions people have is if there is a cost to viewing public records,” Genetia said. “The answer is ‘no.’ If people request us to make copies, there is, however, a small fee for that.”