Open-record requests can take time, money

Just some additional info:

Laredo, Brownsville, Harlingen, Los Fresnos and Santa Rosa ISDs have not charged us a dime for their Records that we have requested.

As for SISD's less expensive option:
"A less expensive way of obtaining this information would be for you to come and inspect the records at our offices. If you choose to take this option, please provide three dates and times during our regular office hours when it will be convenient for you to come. If you choose to inspect the information, you will be able to take notes. You may inspect up to 50 pages total without charge. If you choose to inspect more than 50 pages, personnel and overhead charges will be allocated to the number of pages you take."

Many documents are complex and require reading by several people to spot what's hidden in them. I've been requesting documents for years and some reports have run several hundred pages depending on what we were looking for. Frequently, the documents requested already exist. In that time we've caught people with their hand in the cookie jar and action was taken. This has been the first year that we've been asked to pay for those documents.

Of larger concern are the records requests that are incomplete despite providing the district with a precise laundry list of the documents requested.

Citizens have become cynical about government when they learn that there are impediments to their accessing public information. It seems governments forget who they are working for and whose dollars they are spending. As public entities put more of their expenditures and checkbook registers online, as well as provide other "sunshine" on their activities, the public confidence in government will improve. Additionally, as government becomes more open, there is less likelihood financial mischief will take place. Hats off to Danelle Ivy and others who are willing to get involved. by charging excessive fees, using delaying tactics and redacting information, government employees only increase public cynicism. Taxpayers deserve to know how their public dollars are being spent. Let the sun shine on public spending.

Don't you think not getting these records just makes it them part of the cover up?

Peggy Venable wrote:

Citizens have become cynical about government when they learn that there are impediments to their accessing public information. It seems governments forget who they are working for and whose dollars they are spending. As public entities put more of their expenditures and checkbook registers online, as well as provide other "sunshine" on their activities, the public confidence in government will improve. Additionally, as government becomes more open, there is less likelihood financial mischief will take place. Hats off to Danelle Ivy and others who are willing to get involved. by charging excessive fees, using delaying tactics and redacting information, government employees only increase public cynicism. Taxpayers deserve to know how their public dollars are being spent. Let the sun shine on public spending.

I'm happy to see this fight. A couple years ago a prominent state agency delayed a request by my family member and compromised the Attorney General's Office. The AG's office went along with it and took the blame because there was no consequence. "We dropped the ball." is what the AG's office said. It was a blatant lie. It would have cost nearly ten thousand dollars to pursue it in court. It just couldn't be done. The state got away with one of the most terrible assaults on due process I've ever seen.