San Mateo Launches Online Portal for Public Records Requests

SAN MATEO, CA— Technology improves communication and enhances transparency between government agencies and the public. Today, the city of San Mateo took a step to provide the community with easier access to public information by launching an online portal for public records requests.

San Mateo residents or anyone with questions related to the city of SanMateo can easily access the online portal from the city’s website athttp://www.cityofsanmateo.org/PublicRecords to submit a new request or search similar requests have been previously entered. Users can also easily find links to the city charter and municipal codes, staff reports, maps, and learn where to go for questions related to birth certificates, death records, and other vital information maintained by San Mateo County or other agencies.

The online request portal is powered by GovQA, a leader in delivering digital solutions to public sector clients across the nation. More than 700 cities, counties, and state agencies are connecting with citizens using their public records management system. GovQA has over 16-years of experience, powers 40% of the nation’s largest cities and counties, and connects more than 120 million citizens to government records.

To access the portal, go to the city’s website and click on the records center link available on the homepage or from the City Clerk’s page. Select “submit a request” from the menu items on the left. Users may create an account, which is needed to track and receive information related to a request. After creating an account or logging into the system, users can create a request; it is also possible to submit a request anonymously.

Fill out the required information on the “submit request” screen, and select a preferred method to receive the records. Once submitted, the city in most cases has ten days to respond, and requesters can log back into the portal to check on the status of a request.

The city will respond through the online system and provide the citizen with documents related to the topic. Documents, even large data files, are available for a user to download when they are logged into their account. Additionally, the public can access past requests, and may find that the information they are seeking is already available.

“The online portal makes the process for obtaining public records more efficient and improves transparency between the city and the public,” stated Patrice Olds, San Mateo City Clerk. “This is an excellent example of how SanMateo is using technology to provide more responsive service to the community.”

— Submitted for publication by the City of San Mateo.