Garnett City Manager, Travis Wilson, is working with a private contractor to begin archiving the City’s Social Media Posts, as Official City Records, in keeping with requirements for other von-virtual records held by the City, according to the Kansas Open Records Act, also known as KORA.
KORA requires governmental units to maintain official records for public review but in the “hard copy” age, has entailed primarily physical files, videotape and other media which could be requested and copied by members of the public. Wilson told City Commissioners he has tried to have this program implemented for several years, but each time it was presented, he was told it wasn’t necessary.
Kansas law states social media records in Kansas are governed by the Kansas Open Records Act and, specifically says “computer data is a ‘record’ and that records are not limited to written information”. This means that photos and videos shared by public agencies on social media are included.
