City Launches New Public Records Request Management Software

Bloomington, Ind.– The City of Bloomington is excited to announce the launch of NextRequest, a public records management system designed to improve transparency, efficiency, and consistency in responding to public records requests. The public and media can make requests and view completed requests through the City’s Public Records Request web page at: bloomington.in.gov/public-records-requests

“The new public records system joins the City website and the City’s newly-updated open data portal as pillars of my Administration’s B-Clear transparency initiative,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “It’s a welcome and valuable addition, and I want to thank City Legal, ITS, and Innovation staff for doing the hard work to make this happen.”

Members of the public and media seeking Bloomington Police Department (BPD) records should continue to follow the process for obtaining public records on the BPD’s Incident and Accident Reports web page at:  bloomington.in.gov/public-safety/accident-reports.

“This new software advances Mayor Hamilton’s transparency initiative by making it easier to request records and by making future public records requests and responses available to search and view via the City’s website,” said Corporation Counsel Beth Cate. “NextRequest’s internal tracking and centralized document management capabilities boost the City’s efficiency and consistency in responding to public records requests.”    

The City selected NextRequest due to its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WGAG) 2.0 AA conformance, public self-service interface, and internal tracking features. The process to select a new platform was led by Innovation Director Devta Kidd and Assistant City Attorney Heather Lacy. For information about how to use the portal and access public records, please visit the NextRequest knowledge base at:  help.nextrequest.com/knowledge/requester-resources

Any public records requests made prior to the launch of NextRequest do not need to be resubmitted, as those will still be processed.