Mission
The Office of Open Records Counsel is located within the Comptroller of the Treasury. The mission of the Comptroller’s Office is to improve the quality of life for all Tennesseans by making government work better.

Purpose
The Office of Open Records Counsel serves as the contact for citizens with concerns on access to local government public records. The Office assists citizens in obtaining open records from local government, both in guiding citizens to correct offices/officials and in working to resolve disputes regarding access. The Office promotes education and awareness of the Tennessee public records laws through direct outreach and through coordination with existing organizations. This effort is addressed both to citizens and to local governments.

Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Office include: answering questions and providing information to public officials and the public regarding public records; collecting data on open meetings law inquires and problems; providing educational outreach on open records laws and open meetings laws; answering questions and issuing informal advisory opinions on open records issues; informally mediating and assisting with the resolution of issues concerning open records; working in conjunction with the Advisory Committee on Open Government on open meetings and open records issues; and developing both a schedule of reasonable charges and forms for records custodians to use when responding to open records requests. Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 8-4-601thru 8-4-604.

Staffing and Job Description
The Office is staffed by the Open Records Director Ann Butterworth and the Open Records Specialist Elisha Hodge.