Your residents have a right to know. GovToKnow helps them exercise it.

How to file, what to request, response timelines, appeal rights. your RTK policy is published. GovToKnow explains it in plain language, 24/7, on your city's website.

The Problem

The information was always public. Now it's actually usable.

Most residents don't know how to file, what they're entitled to, or how long it takes. It's all published.

The RTK process is opaque

Most residents don't know how to file a right-to-know request, what information they're entitled to, what exemptions apply, or how long the municipality has to respond. This creates unnecessary barriers to public information that's supposed to be accessible.

Staff fields procedural questions before requests are even filed

A significant share of RTK-related staff time goes to explaining the process rather than processing actual requests. How do I file? What can I request? How long will it take? These have published answers that most residents simply can't find.

Requesters give up before completing

When the process feels complicated or unclear, residents abandon their requests. Information that should be public stays effectively inaccessible. Clear process guidance keeps requests moving and access real.

What residents ask

Filing. Timelines. Appeals. They ask about all of it.

GovToKnow is trained on your municipality's published RTK policy, procedures, and response requirements.

“How do I file a right-to-know request?”“How long does the municipality have to respond?”“What records am I allowed to request?”“Can I request emails between officials?”“What information is exempt from disclosure?”“How much does an RTK request cost?”“How do I appeal a denial?”“Can I request records in electronic format?”“What happens if I miss the appeal deadline?”“Are meeting minutes public record?”“Can I request salary information?”“Where do I submit my request?”“Can I submit a request online?”“Do I need to give a reason for my request?”“Can I request records from a prior administration?”“What counts as a public record?”“How do I file a right-to-know request?”“How long does the municipality have to respond?”“What records am I allowed to request?”“Can I request emails between officials?”“What information is exempt from disclosure?”“How much does an RTK request cost?”“How do I appeal a denial?”“Can I request records in electronic format?”“What happens if I miss the appeal deadline?”“Are meeting minutes public record?”“Can I request salary information?”“Where do I submit my request?”“Can I submit a request online?”“Do I need to give a reason for my request?”“Can I request records from a prior administration?”“What counts as a public record?”“How do I file a right-to-know request?”“How long does the municipality have to respond?”“What records am I allowed to request?”“Can I request emails between officials?”“What information is exempt from disclosure?”“How much does an RTK request cost?”“How do I appeal a denial?”“Can I request records in electronic format?”“What happens if I miss the appeal deadline?”“Are meeting minutes public record?”“Can I request salary information?”“Where do I submit my request?”“Can I submit a request online?”“Do I need to give a reason for my request?”“Can I request records from a prior administration?”“What counts as a public record?”

“What counts as a public record?”“Can I request records from a prior administration?”“Do I need to give a reason for my request?”“Can I submit a request online?”“Where do I submit my request?”“Can I request salary information?”“Are meeting minutes public record?”“What happens if I miss the appeal deadline?”“Can I request records in electronic format?”“How do I appeal a denial?”“How much does an RTK request cost?”“What information is exempt from disclosure?”“Can I request emails between officials?”“What records am I allowed to request?”“How long does the municipality have to respond?”“How do I file a right-to-know request?”“What counts as a public record?”“Can I request records from a prior administration?”“Do I need to give a reason for my request?”“Can I submit a request online?”“Where do I submit my request?”“Can I request salary information?”“Are meeting minutes public record?”“What happens if I miss the appeal deadline?”“Can I request records in electronic format?”“How do I appeal a denial?”“How much does an RTK request cost?”“What information is exempt from disclosure?”“Can I request emails between officials?”“What records am I allowed to request?”“How long does the municipality have to respond?”“How do I file a right-to-know request?”“What counts as a public record?”“Can I request records from a prior administration?”“Do I need to give a reason for my request?”“Can I submit a request online?”“Where do I submit my request?”“Can I request salary information?”“Are meeting minutes public record?”“What happens if I miss the appeal deadline?”“Can I request records in electronic format?”“How do I appeal a denial?”“How much does an RTK request cost?”“What information is exempt from disclosure?”“Can I request emails between officials?”“What records am I allowed to request?”“How long does the municipality have to respond?”“How do I file a right-to-know request?”

How it works

From RTK policy to plain-language guidance.

GovToKnow lives on your existing website. Residents get process guidance without calling your office. Staff handles actual requests, not procedural questions.

We load your published RTK policy and procedures

Right-to-know policies, response timelines, exemption categories, fee schedules, appeal procedures: we import every public-facing document that governs your RTK process.

Residents ask in plain language

No policy document to navigate. No statute to decode. A resident types a question on your city's website and gets clear guidance in seconds.

Every answer cites its source

Responses link directly to the policy section or procedure they came from. Residents can verify. Staff can trust. Nothing is interpreted beyond what's published.

GovToKnow · Records & RTK

› How long does the municipality have to respond to my RTK request?

Under the Right-to-Know Law, the municipality has 5 business days to respond to your request: either fulfilling it, denying it, or invoking a 30-day extension with written notice. [Source: RTK Policy §3, Response Requirements]

› How do I appeal if my request is denied?

If your request is denied, you may appeal to the Office of Open Records within 15 business days of receiving the denial. Your appeal must include a copy of the original request and the denial letter. [Source: RTK Policy §6, Appeals Process]

› Can you release the records I'm requesting?

I can't do that. Actual record requests must be submitted to the Open Records Officer. I can only explain the process. Here's how to submit your request →

Process guidance only. Actual records are released through your Open Records Officer.

Important distinction

Not a records portal. A records guide.

This is what your Open Records Officer and solicitor will ask about. Here's the direct answer.

GovToKnow does

Explain how to file a right-to-know request step by step

Answer questions about response timelines and exemptions

Describe the appeal process clearly

Reduce procedural calls to your Open Records Officer

Work 24/7 without staff involvement

GovToKnow does not

Access, release, or process actual records requests

Make determinations about what records are exempt

Provide legal advice on RTK matters

Connect to your records management system

Require your IT department to manage anything

Document layer only

GovToKnow reads from your published RTK policy and procedures only. No connection to your records management system or case files.

US-based infrastructure

All data lives on AWS servers in the United States. Nothing leaves domestic borders.

No AI training on your data

Your documents and resident queries are never used to train AI models. Not ours, not anyone else's.

Staff impact

Give your Open Records Officer their time back.

Open Records Officers spend a meaningful portion of their week fielding questions about the RTK process itself: how to file, what can be requested, how long it takes, how to appeal. These answers are in your published policy.

When GovToKnow handles those procedural questions from your published RTK policy, it absorbs the pre-request inquiries, freeing your Open Records Officer to focus on actually processing requests, applying exemptions, and handling appeals that require professional judgment.

~4 hrs/week

Avg. Open Records Officer time on procedural questions

24/7

GovToKnow availability vs. office hours only

0 staff

Required to run GovToKnow after go-live