Tag: Open records
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Kansas News Digest
News from alternative media around Kansas for November 2, 2009.
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Wichita Downtown Development Corporation and City of Wichita refuse to follow Kansas Open Records Act
On October 15 I made a request under the Kansas Open Records Act, asking for agendas and minutes of the board meetings of the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation for 2009. The City of Wichita, and later the WDDC, denied this request. In its denial, the city stated: “The WDDC is a non-profit organization. Such entities…
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Press availability: WDDC refuses to follow Kansas Open Records Law
Recently Bob Weeks submitted records requests to the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation. While organized as a non-profit corporation, the WDDC, because it receives its funding from property taxes, is subject to the Kansas Open Records Act. But the WDDC and the City of Wichita have refused to recognize the fact that the WDDC is a…
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Wichita City Council, September 15, 2009
On today’s public agenda of the Wichita City Council, I have two things to discuss with the council. One is the city’ refusal to make public proposals submitted by planning firms wishing to be awarded a contract by the city. Background is here: Downtown Wichita proposals not available to citizens. Then, there’s Janet Miller’s junket…
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Downtown Wichita proposals not available to citizens
As part of Wichita’s downtown revitalization effort, city leaders decided to hire a planning firm. Four firms have been selected as finalists, and a committee is in the process of evaluating their proposals. Whether or not you think this planning process is wise — and I happen to think it is not — it seems…
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Open records in Kansas not always so
Open records and meetings in Kansas are in the news.
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Sedgwick County transparency effort delayed
This week Sedgwick County was scheduled to debut its financial transparency website. Based on the preview I briefly saw, this system will allow citizens to explore county revenue and spending in detail. Evidently, the system presents too much detail. The rollout was delayed due to an issue brought up by the Sheriff, having to do…
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Kansas open records law needs an overhaul
“An open and transparent government is essential to the democratic process. Under Kansas law, citizens have the right to access public records and observe many meetings where decisions are made that affect our state.” That quote is taken from the Kansas Attorney General’s web site. Unfortunately, the second sentence isn’t really true. Kansans may technically…
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Sedgwick County keeps lease agreement secret
A few months ago in March, SMG, the company that is managing the Intrust Bank Arena (formerly known as the downtown Wichita arena) signed a lease with the Wichita Thunder Hockey team. Details of that lease weren’t made available to the public. Not to Sedgwick County Commissioners, either. So the public and even elected government…
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Kansas open records, not quite
The Flint Hills Center for Public Policy has produced another important investigative report, this time looking at the difficulty citizens and journalists can encounter when requesting records covered under the Kansas Open Records Act. “What started out as research into property valuations in Kansas has turned into a frustrating protracted battle over differing perspectives on…
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Kansas open records sleuth stymied in Washington
The Kansas Meadowlark tells how on a recent trip to Washington, he wasn’t able to use digital photography to capture records. The post is Don’t take pictures near open records at Legislative Research Center or Office of Public Records on Capitol Hill.