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City Attorney David Davidson said he spoke to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, and the city cannot make people pay in advance for the retrieval, redaction and copy of records. The resolution, Davidson said is “simply following state law.”

Councilman Mike Palermo said he supports the resolution, because it’s a “clear focus on creating more efficiencies for Roswell residents, the media and any people requesting.”

Councilwoman Sarah Beeson was adamantly against the proposed change.

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“I cannot be emphatic enough about how much I oppose this resolution,” Beeson said.

The councilwoman cited state law that dictates any person, corporation or entity may request access to public records.

“I’m of the frame of mind that Mickey Mouse himself can be requesting this information, and it should not change the context nor the amount of information that’s provided,” Beeson said.

Wilson argued that if he can legitimately prove he is Mickey Mouse, that’s fine, but he should not be able to pose as another person.

“Why can’t I just say I’m Kurt Wilson, and I’m asking for this information,” Wilson said. “What’s wrong with that?”

Beeson responded that the “burden of transparency does not lie on the private residents, but rather on the public entity.”

Beeson also questioned the basis of allowing anonymity if a physical presence is required in City Hall, saying it “defeats the purpose” of not giving a name.

Mayor Wilson argued that most people who come to City Hall are anonymous, because they do not have to present identification.

“Nobody has to give their name, ever,” City Attorney Davidson said. “They can simply make a request and all the documents will be prepared, they’ll be copied and they’ll be sitting waiting when they come in to get them.”

Concerns around unverifiable names and addresses centered on the amount of work it takes to fill open records requests, especially requests that can total hundreds of documents. Councilmembers said verification will guarantee that a person cannot avoid being charged for requests.

The city clerk did not say whether there has been an instance of anybody failing to pay the costs for an open records request, but she stated that many people often say they do not want certain documents once the cost estimate is provided.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Roswell having rules in place to curb the abuses that are going on currently,” Councilman Peter Vanstrom said.

The resolution was moved forward to the next regularly scheduled Roswell City Council meeting.