Transparency? It's slow.

Sent this morning to the sweethearts in the Portland public records redaction center:

I am writing to try to learn the status of a public records request that I made on December 17, 2025. It was assigned reference no. C4*****-*****25. Per your invoice, I paid $377.62 on January 22, 2026 in connection with this request.

The receipt I received, however, shows a new request number: P1*****-****26. I do not understand why a new number was assigned. I made only one request, and it shows up on my account on your website as C4*****-****25. The invoice is shown as unpaid.

As the statutory deadline for your response has passed, I would like to know where the request stands, and I would like the payment I made to be credited to the correct, one and only, request.

Please respond as soon as possible. Thank you.

John Bogdanski

UPDATE, later that morning: Here's the response. Ha!

Hello,

Unfortunately your email was not recognized and has not been routed accordingly.  Please be advised that if you wish to submit a new request or check on the status of an already submitted request, you should visit the City of Portland Public Records Requests Center.

If you need further assistance, you can call the PRR Help Line at (503) 823-6040 or email prrhelp@portlandoregon.gov

Email Subject: [SUBJEMAIL]

Email Body: [DESCRIPTIONEMAIL]

This is an auto-generated email and has originated from an unmonitored email account. Please DO NOT REPLY. 

UPDATE, a little later: So I forward my message to the prrhelp email address, and back comes this:

If you sent an email asking for technical assistance, we will get back to you shortly.  However, if you are seeking other information regarding a public record request please refer to these resources below or to our FAQ's page on the portal here: www.portland.gov/prr.

If you want public records, please submit a request through our online portal here: www.portland.gov/prr. The City does not accept nor will it respond to emailed requests.

If you are looking for the status of a request made to the police bureau through our portal, please call the police bureau directly at (503) 823-0756.  Requests to PPB usually take at least 3-4 weeks.

If you want to mail a check as payment on your public records request, please refer to the email that was sent to you when you made your request.  You can find all communications related to your request by going to www.portlandoregon.gov/prr.  Then choose “My Request Center.” Choose “View my Requests” then log in to your account.  Any payment made by check can also be paid by electronic check through the portal. Paying through the portal will result in faster processing of your request.

If this information does not answer your question, please send another email with your specific issue.  If we do not hear from you, we will assume your question was answered and we will not respond further. 

The City That Works You Over, indeed.