The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction): A recent open records request by The Daily Sentinel fulfilled by the city of Grand Junction omitted a contentious email from Councilor Phyllis Norris, who like other councilors was personally responsible for turning over communications related to the request.

The city’s open records protocol is not unique, but it does reveal an inherent contradiction — the city most often relies on councilors themselves to turn over open records relevant to public inquiries.

City Records Manager Debbie Kemp said in an email that there are two processes by which the city responds to open records requests. Either city officials are asked to go through their emails and capture ones responsive to the request, or a search is performed through the city’s centralized Email Administration Console.

Centralized searches are reserved for “very broad” inquiries or when city staff is unsure about which city officials might be involved in the subject matter, according to Kemp.

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