Creating a state-level unit to monitor open meetings and open records could vastly improve the state’s ability to enforce these important laws. Spending about $160,000 a year to police compliance to the Kansas Open Meetings Act and Kansas Ope ...

"All meetings of a public body shall be open to the public and shall be held in a place available to the general public." As part of an ongoing study of Ann Arbor’s sanitary sewer system during wet weather, a public meeting will take place next Thursday, Feb. 6, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Slauson Middle School auditorium. At that meeting, an update will be presented on the study. Also to be discussed at the meeting are results of a recent survey of participants in the city’s footing drain disconnection program. read more ...

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing a request by an open-government advocate to create a policy for the use of email communications by public officials that is consistent with the Open Public Meetings Act. The request, made J ...

Gov. Dennis Daugaard has pledged to make state government more open to the public and last year his Open Government Task Force submitted eight bills in the 2013 legislative session. The Legislature rejected five of the proposed laws. One of the pro ...

A bill to strengthen the Brown Act, California’s open government law is proceeding in the state legislature. The bill adds to the reasons a district attorney or citizen can petition to void a government act for failure to provide adequate oppor ...

All but four states now post at least partial information online showing which companies are receiving economic development subsidies. But the quality and depth of that disclosure varies widely, both among and within states. Three-fourths of major st ...

On the occasion of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address this week, marking five years since he was sworn into office with the stated primary objective of turning around the post-crisis domestic economy, it’s worth asking: I ...

One of the city’s biggest open-government advocates isn’t heeding his own advice — and he’s the mayor. Nearly a month into his administration, Mayor de Blasio has yet to appoint a records officer to handle requests for public ...

From the Craig Daily Press:  The Craig Daily Press and Colorado Press Association have received a response from U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell’s office regarding her visit to Moffat County and the barring of reporters from a public meeting. #In a letter emailed Tuesday evening, the Department of the Interior expressed regret at the miscommunication about the meeting that led to Craig Daily Press reporter Erin Fenner being asked to leave twice. #“The Department of the Interior strives to maintain an open and transparent relationship with the press and the public, and we sincerely regret the incident and any role ...

From The Complete Colorado: The selection of Gerald “Jerry” Marks to replace Arvada City Council member Rachel Zenzinger earlier this month has prompted a lawsuit, according to court filings. Zenzinger resigned her seat to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of State Sen. Evie Hudak in November. Hudak faced a recall following controversial comments offered during the 2013 legislative session. Zenzinger, tapped by a Democratic vacancy committee on December 10, left Arvada’s City Council to determine a replacement for the City Council District 1 seat. The lawsuit alleges that Arvada’s remaining council members “failed to comply with the Colorado Sunshine ...