In 2019 the City of Syracuse received 1,703 Freedom of Information Law requests to the Legal Department. There is a lawyer on staff who until now spent the majority of his time handling requests understanding the request, working cross-departmentally to consolidate information, and respond in kind. This became a huge financial and resource burden on the Legal Department exasperated by COVID-19 and the work from home and furloughs that came with it.
Even before COVID-19 the office of Accountability, Performance, & Innovation and the Legal Department had been working together to better understand how we could make this a more efficient process. We knew that a large portion of FOIL requests were for data that could be easily captured and shared. We also knew that much of that data was currently made available to the public but was not being used for this specific purpose. To remedy this, the team decided to build a portal specifically for FOIL requests that would live on the Legal Department’s webpage, and offer a relief for those receiving requests in the Law Department.
For version one of the portal the team researched what the most requested information was that could quickly be shared with the public. Using our FOIL tracking program it was determined we would focus on code violations and permits, which make up approximately 30% of all FOIL requests. This information was also already being housed in a SQL database that can easily be accessed and queried. Using SQL, Python, and Microsoft Power BI the dashboard was built with a homepage, a page for permits, and a page for code violations. By maintaining each of the data categories on a homepage the hope was to build in scalability from the outset.
Once the dashboard itself was built the City worked with external stakeholders we would consider high frequency users of the portal to launch a pilot program. This included two local lawyers who frequently work on eviction advocacy cases and often are looking for information on landlord violation history. Each of these users spent time in the system with regular check ins to identify how they would and wouldn’t use the portal in their daily responsibilities. From these users we gained a better understanding of what was missing, what wasn’t needed, and how we could refine the portal to best suit the user.
After user testing was completed and we decided the portal was ready for the public, the Power BI dashboard was embedded directly into the Legal Department’s webpage with language indicating anyone interested in submitting a FOIL request should first check to see if their needs can be met by the data provided. Requests received that are covered in the portal are responded to by asking the individual to use the portal and reach out if they need further instructions or a tutorial.
Working with the Communication’s team, Legal Department, Mayor’s Office, and the Director of Codes, our office built out a launch strategy that coincided with a monthly briefing from the Mayor. The FOIL Self Serve Portal is now officially available to the public for use. While the portal doesn’t cover all FOIL requests that come in, the goal is to continue building out the information available as we iterate and receive feedback from users.
To View the FOIL Self Serve Portal: http://www.syrgov.net/Forms_and_Information.aspx