Maine § 413. - Public access officer

§ 413.. Public access officer

1.  Designation; responsibility.  Each agency, county, municipality, board or commission established under Title 5, chapter 379, school administrative unit and regional or other political subdivision shall designate an existing employee as its public access officer to serve as the contact person for that agency, county, municipality, board or commission, school administrative unit or regional or other political subdivision with regard to requests for public records under this subchapter. The public access officer is responsible for ensuring that each public record request is acknowledged within 5 working days of the receipt of the request by the office responsible for maintaining the public record requested and that a good faith estimate of when the response to the request will be complete is provided according to section 408‑A. The public access officer shall serve as a resource within the agency, county, municipality, board or commission, school administrative unit and regional or other political subdivision concerning freedom of access questions and compliance. The public access officer may serve as the contact person for more than one board or commission if the boards or commissions are within the same office or agency.

2.  Acknowledgment and response required.  An agency, county, municipality, board or commission established under Title 5, chapter 379, school administrative unit and regional or other political subdivision that receives a request to inspect or copy a public record shall acknowledge and respond to the request regardless of whether the request was delivered to or directed to the public access officer.

3.  No delay based on unavailability.  The unavailability of a public access officer may not delay a response to a request.

4.  Training.  A public access officer shall complete a course of training on the requirements of this chapter relating to public records and proceedings as described in section 412.