APAR
PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST GUIDELINES
The Town Clerk’s Office is the Designated Public Records Unit (excluding the
Police Department and the School Department). The DPRU shall refer any request for
records not under their jurisdiction to the appropriate department upon receipt and notify
the requestor of the referral.
The Office of the Town Clerk has instituted the following procedure to help you
obtain public records:
1. To reach us by telephone please call (401) 635-4400.
2. The regular business hours of the Office are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through
Friday.
3. Staff Members may ask the reason for your request, as its regular course of
business. However, you are not required to provide the reason you seek the
information nor are you required to provide identification, and your right to access
public records will not depend upon providing identification or reasons.
4. In order to ensure that you are provided with the public records you seek in an
expeditious manner, we ask that you complete the Public Records Request Form
which can be found on our website at http://www.littlecomptonri.org or at the
Town Clerk’s Office. Use of the public records request form is not mandatory.
5. You may also obtain a copy of the Attorney General’s Guide to Open Government,
which can be found at http://www.riag.ri.gov/civil/opengovernment.
6. There are times when the public records you seek are not available at the time of
your request. Please be advised that the Access to Public Records allows a public
body ten (10) business days to respond, which can be extended an additional
twenty (20) business days for “good cause”. We appreciate your understanding
and patience.
7. If you feel that you have been denied access to public records, you have the right to
file a review petition with the Chief Elected Official for Little Compton, which is
the Town Council President. If you are still not satisfied, you may file a lawsuit in
Superior Court.
8. The Office of the Town Clerk is committed to providing you with public records in
an expeditious and courteous manner.