Originally Posted by
Stephanie Gibson
We employ a dozen individuals to preserve, protect and produce the PUBLIC record. The state constitution provides enforceable rights to the PUBLIC record so that we can hold our government accountable. It is called Open Government.
If you want less record requests.. then the City should provide full and complete responses to enquiries. They dont, they spin and blow smoke up.our backsides. Thus, after 2 years of asking questions and not getting forthright responses, i discovered my right to the record. So now, if i have a question, I pull the record and then ask questions about the facts.
The Clerks office plays its own games. Here is a recent example that is all part of the public record for you to verify.
I requested email between the City and the Consultant hired with Taxpayer dollars to identify and address the myriad of long term issues in the Citys records depts. I was given an estimate of over $50 to produce them. As we do not have a system that allows me to pay by credit card. I have to come in and pay a 50% deposit; then come back to pay the balance when the request is completed. I spoke with the City Clerk and ask they remove the duplicates and narrow to only email between the clerk and the consultant. A new estimate of $5.21 was provided. I agreed. I went in to pay, waited for a clerk to free up, escort me down to the utilities dept, stand in line with me. pay the $5.21 then the files were emailed to me. A week later, I received a notice sayi g that i should bring ID and go to Finance to pick up.a refund check for 5.21 as the request was done in less than 15 minutes. I have no idea why this refund was initiated, it came shortly after our City Clerk went out on leave.
So the City wasted hours stalling and delaying producing the record and in the process blew hours of time and resources only to find it was done within 15 minutes. Now we waste Finance resources to cut a check
Gee I wonder why the City had to hire an outside consultant at the initial cost to taxpayers of $35,000. Additionally the 126 page Public Records plan to remediate will cost plenty more as the Consultant helps us implement the 3 year plan.
So you sit back and throw yoir happy horsechit about, in the end, the citizens and the City will be better off because of the work I have done, both in the Clerks office and the PD.