Public Records and Meeting Law

Public Records Requests

You are entitled to access public records of the TVWD, unless specifically exempted by law, under reasonable conditions, and to copies of those records upon paying the associated costs. Persons with disabilities who require accommodation for obtaining access to District public records should notify us of their accommodation needs in their written public records request. All records-related questions and public records requests can be recordsrequest [at] tvwd.org (subject: Records%20Request) (directed to the District Recorder) or by calling (503) 848-3000. A public records request form and policy, which lays out the public records request process and applicable fees in more detail, are available below.

Public Meeting Laws
Public meeting laws are designed to promote transparency and accountability in government by requiring that meetings of public bodies are conducted openly and accessible to the public. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) has the authority to enforce Oregon’s Public Meetings Law (ORS 192.610 to 192.705).
 

Step 1: Submit Grievance

Before you can file a complaint with Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC), you need to submit a written grievance to the public body at issue. The written grievance needs to include:

  1. Date of submission of the grievance.
  2. The name and contact information of the person filing the grievance.
  3. The date that the alleged violation of the Public Meetings Law occurred.
  4. A description of the facts and circumstances of the alleged violation of ORS 192.610 - 192.705.

The written grievance must be submitted to the public body within 30 calendar days of when the alleged violation happened. (OAR 199-050-0070(2)).

Send the written grievance to the Tualatin Valley Water District Recorder: recordsrequest [at] tvwd.org (recordsrequest[at]tvwd[dot]org) or grievances may be mailed or dropped off at Tualatin Valley Water District, 1850 SW 170th Ave, Beaverton OR 97003 during regular business hours.

Step 2: Wait for Response

The public body (TVWD) has 21 calendar days to respond to your written grievance. The public body's response should acknowledge the receipt of the written grievance and address it in one of the following ways:

  • Deny the facts and circumstances alleged in the grievance. Provide the public body's version of events and why those facts are not a violation of the law.
  • Admit to the facts and circumstances alleged in the grievance, but deny that they are a violation of the law.
  • Admit to the facts and circumstances alleged in the grievance and that they were a violation of the law. Explain the steps the governing body will take to address the violation.
  • Once you receive a response from the public body, or if you do not receive a response within 21 days of filing your grievance, you can move on to filing a complaint with OGEC. (ORS 192.705(2))

Step 3: File Complaint

If you receive a response that satisfies your grievance, you can work with the public body and do not need to file a complaint. If you don't receive a response within 21 days or if you are dissatisfied with response you received, you can file a complaint with OGEC. To file a complaint with OGEC, you are required to include documentation that you have completed the mandatory prerequisites (steps 1 and 2). You can submit a complaint on the OGEC Cases & Complaints web page.

You must include the following with your complaint:

  • A copy of the written grievance.
  • A copy of the public body's response.

If no response was received, an affirmation that you did not receive a response within the 21-day period. If you fail to satisfy the mandatory prerequisites before filing your complaint with OGEC, your complaint will be dismissed. (ORS 192.685(3))
 

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