A big helping of open-government resources
Check out the CFOIC’s new Resource pages, which include guides to accessing public information and a categorized directory of public data available online.
Public Records Laws
Does court ruling on AG consumer complaints have broader implications?
A court decision last week that let the Colorado Attorney General turn over consumer complaints to the Better Business Bureau, but not to a Denver TV news organization, may have broader implications for the release of public records.
The true value of FOI
A Gazette investigation into a secret spy program at the Air Force Academy was one of three recent news stories that had nothing in common, except the vitally important fact that none could have been reported in such detail, or perhaps even reported at all, without the state and federal laws that ensure your rights of access to public information.
Journalist sues Archuleta County commissioner over secret meeting and loses, but would “gladly do the same thing again”
Bill Hudson, publisher of an online community magazine, is out nearly $1,500 after his lawsuit was dismissed. Did the county attorney mislead the court over the actual cost of his legal research in the case?
Leadville newspaper explains why it’s suing the Lake County Commission
Because an “emergency executive session” of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners was held with no notice and because there was no true emergency, the Herald Democrat considers the meeting to be illegal.
When public information is not public
A Conifer woman learned recently that open records aren’t necessarily open in Colorado when public and private information are mixed together. The law is different in some other states.
Newly revised! Download the 2013 guide to Colorado’s open-government laws
The new edition of “Sunshine Laws: Guide to Colorado Open Meetings & Open Records Laws,” is now available on the Resources page.
What is a “reasonable” CORA fee?
A recent Court of Appeals decision upheld a 2003 ruling on how much governments in Colorado can charge to research and retrieve records.
2013 Colorado legislative session
Gov. Hickenlooper signed into law HB 1041, requiring that records be made available even if the requester cannot pick them up in person.