Weekly newspaper conducts open-records audit of local public agencies

One of the more ambitious Kentucky projects during Sunshine Week, the annual observance that highlights the importance of open government, was a local records audit by the Adair County Community Voice in Columbia. The weekly newspaper engaged eight "average citizens" to seek specific records from eight public agencies and published the generally good findings in last week's paper, with an explanation of the audit and the issues, and an editorial by Editor-Publisher Sharon Burton giving her motives.

Burton wrote that since she started the paper 10 years ago, "We have seen a dramatic improvement in the understanding for openness and the cooperation we receive, so "We didn't do it to harass or put local officials on the spot," but rather "to get a better idea of where we are and where we need to continue educating and informing public officials and the public about the role of government."

The audit found the least cooperation when it asked local law-enforcement agencies for salary information. Burton told us in an email, "Our sheriff's department provided a copy of salaries with the names marked out. Numbers only. lol. Then the secretary called and said we made them sound bad. Love this job." The sheriff's department claimed that the auditor said he didn't need the names; "The auditor said he didn't specify that he needed the names," the story by Burton and Allison Hollon reports. The Kentucky State Police didn't reply to a mailed request.

The Voice does not put most news stories online, but we have posted its front page, Page 2 and Page 3 on the site of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues. If your newspaper conducted an open records audit for Sunshine Week, please let us know so you can be recognized, too.

Nominate a local open-govermnent hero for national recognition during Sunshine Week

For the observance of Sunshine Week, March 11-17, you are invited to nominate individuals who have played significant roles in fighting for government transparency. Get the nomination form here. All nominations must be received by Feb. 20.

The 2012 Local Hero will win an expense-paid trip to the American Society of News Editors convention April 2-4 in Washington. Second- and third-place winners will receive $500 and $250, respectively. ASNE and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sponsor Sunshine Week. For more information and the free materials available to all participants, visit the Sunshine Week website.

Kentucky online records access in the middle

A new survey for Sunshine Week puts Kentucky squarely in the middle in terms of availability of on-line records, according to The Associated Press.

The poll, released Sunday for the annual observance of open-government efforts, rates Kentucky 26th among states in a survey of 20 types of records such as death certificates, state audits and school bus inspections. Of the 20 categories, records for 11 were available online, the survey reported, tying Kentucky with four other states. Texas came in first in the poll with all 20 categories available. Mississippi was on the bottom with four.

Gov. Steve Beshear has called on-line access to state records a priority for his administration. A special task force has established a portal website, http://www.opendoor.ky.gov/, to make it easier to obtain such records.

Secretary of State Trey Grayson also has worked to make business and other records kept by his office available online. He is again pushing legislation to make statewide candidates file their campaign-finance reports electronically, so they can be immediately available for public inspection and analysis. The original bill got caught up in a House-Senate dispute and has been attached as a Senate amendment to a House bill, but it is uncertain whether the legislature will consider such "piggybacked" legislation when it returns to Frankfort next week to reconsider bills Beshear vetoes. UPDATE: House Speaker Greg Stumbo said on KET tonight that the House may consider concurrence on some House bills amended by the Senate.