Citizens should be able to walk in to local government offices and request access to public data.

Tuesday, April 18, 2000

Citizens should be able to walk in to local government offices and request access to public data. That’s the ideal situation.

A survey published on the front pages of Minnesota’s newspapers Monday proved otherwise. The study, conducted by the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, indicated that while some information is readily available, other information is withheld in violation of state law.

The Austin Daily Herald participated in the statewide project, as well as other journalists. Others who helped gather information in the state’s 87 counties included college students, housewives and retirees.

The survey sought access to three documents in each county: city council minutes for the first meeting of the year in the largest city, data on the superintendent’s salary and benefits from the largest school district in each county and the previous day’s jail bookings or jail log from each sheriff’s department.

In Mower, Freeborn, Steele, Dodge and Fillmore counties, those seeking access to city council minutes generally had no difficulty with their requests. While some cities provided copies for free, others such as Albert Lea charged a fee per copy.

Access to information on school superintendents’ salaries and benefits didn’t come as easy in Austin and Albert Lea, according to participants. In both cases, school district employees copied down information by hand off official documents for those requesting the data and did not allow access to the official data.

When participants sought access to jail bookings, sheriff’s employees in both Mower and Freeborn counties refused access to the data. In both counties, sheriff’s employees erroneously told participants that state law prohibits the release of such information.

In Freeborn County, the sheriff’s employee declined to release the log, stating: "That information is personal, private and confidential," adding that "state law" made such a determination.

Statewide, 98 percent of requests for council minutes were provided. However, nearly 30 percent of requests for school superintendents’ salaries were denied and 58 percent of requests for jail logs were denied.