The Office of Open Records Counsel (OORC) is housed within the Office of the Comptroller of the Treasury and receives comments and guidance from a 17-member advisory committee. T.C.A. § 8-4-602(b)(1), (2). The OORC provides local governments with information and informal opinions on public records questions. T.C.A. § 8-4-601(b). These opinions are available for viewing on the OORC website. Id. Not only are opinions issued by the OORC valuable for the information contained therein, but they can also provide a safe harbor for employees who rely on them. If a municipality is sued for violation of the Act, a court may consider guidance provided by the OORC when determining whether a municipality willfully denied a requestor’s public records request. T.C.A. § 10-7-505(g).

Additionally, the OORC is available to mediate disputes between local governments and requesting citizens. T.C.A. § 8-4-601(c). Further, the General Assembly has directed the OORC to develop several policies and a number of forms that may be used by municipalities. T.C.A. § 8-4-604. The forms and policies are found at Policies, Guidelines & Forms (tn.gov)