Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says the city has made improvements that will make Freedom of Information Law, or FOIL requests, faster and more efficient.
She says a new online application for FOIL requests will benefit both citizens, and people working in government.
"We are committed to making city government more transparent. We are committed to community engagement. Everything we do in the city government is the public's business," she said.
Warren says everything that is done in city government is the public's business.
"Every document we create belongs to the public. Every dollar we spend is the public's money, and it's our responsibility to ensure access to this information," she said.
Warren says the project will make city records easier to access and does away with old technology that mired down the FOIL process.
The program costs $500 thousand dollars, but the city has already received a $300 thousand dollar state grant and has applied for $200 thousand more.
The announcement of the new online application, located on the city's website, coincides with "Sunshine Week," designed to educate people about the importance of open government.
People can access the new FOIL process at www.cityofrochester.gov/FOIL
Here's Mayor Warren talking about the online application, which begins with a main submission form, where frequent users can create their login to auto fill their personal information: