Personnel committee approves open-records and accreditation job descriptions to handle body-camera redaction workload

The Franklin City Personnel Committee approved two job descriptions for an open records clerk and an accreditation assistant to address a growing workload from body-camera recordings.

Presenters told the committee that the city instituted body cameras in October 2025 and that redaction demands have increased markedly; "for one hour of video that needs redaction, it can take up to eight hours to process," a presenter said. The accreditation assistant position is tied to the city’s ongoing accreditation process; presenters said grant funding supports an accreditation coordinator position but that those grant resources expire Sept. 30, 2027.

Committee members asked whether the positions were funded; presenters said the first step is approval of the job descriptions and then the administration will request funding as needed. Members also asked for more detail about redaction guidance and what should be exempt from disclosure; presenters acknowledged those details could be included in future refinements.

The motion to accept the job descriptions was made and seconded and the committee approved the item. The committee noted that other nearby municipalities typically have dedicated open-records staff and that Franklin has handled open records through dispatchers and other staff in the past, creating an ad hoc arrangement that is now strained by video redaction demands.

Next steps: with job descriptions approved, the administration will pursue funding and the city will proceed with establishing the positions and continuing the accreditation process.