Mississippi transparency headlines
From Sunshine Review
This article is a list of transparency related news from Mississippi.
Governor's new aide in Miss. to make $80,000
January 3, 2009: Gov. Haley Barbour's new press secretary will get nearly $17,000 more than his predecessor, drawing criticism during a time of budget cuts.
A public records request revealed that Dan Turner will get an $80,000 annual salary, up from $63,200 paid to Pete Smith, The Clarion-Ledger reported Saturday.
Smith is now spokesman for the state Department of Education, making $84,000 a year. Read the full article here.
City Council May Sue Mayor Melton For Financial Info
December 30, 2008: The Jackson City Council may sue Mayor Frank Melton to get financial information about vendors the city paid last year.
The City Council plans to vote on an order to compel the mayor to release the financial documents, which the mayor said he will veto, 16 WAPT's Joseph Pleasant reported.
"Anyone who releases that information will be terminated immediately," Melton told his chief administrative officer, Robert Walker, and city attorney, Sarah O'Reily Evans during Tuesday's City Council meeting. Read the full article here.
Jackson city mayor refuses to turn over records
Government e-mail must be preserved
October 3, 2008: There is a debate going on in Jackson that is probably not on a lot of Mississippi citizens' radar but could go a long way to determining whether some public records will remain public.
The Local Government Records Committee, a committee of the state Department of Archives and History, began a special hearing this week on how local governments should deal with electronic documents, especially e-mail. Read the full article here.
Some public info destroyed
October 2, 2008: Without any official guidance from the state, some local governments are destroying untold numbers of public documents by hitting the "delete" key.
The Local Government Records Committee, an obscure committee of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History that sets rules on government recordkeeping, held a special hearing Wednesday to discuss how local governments should deal with electronic documents, especially e-mail.
The committee adjourned without making a decision, and some members are concerned rules on preserving e-mail could unfairly burden small governments. Read the full article here.
Local Blogger Frustrated with City's Response to Changes in Law
September 23, 2008: Three On Your Side reported earlier this month that a local blogger is helping set standards for public records laws. But now, he's frustrated with the records he's received from the City of Jackson.
In July, James Hendrix took advantage of amendments to the Mississippi Public Records Act, which define what an "incident report" and "investigative report" entail. Read the full article here.
Open records: New process works for citizens
September 16, 2008: Call it, Citizens 1, Gov't secrecy 0, in the first test of Mississippi's new configuring of the law ensuring access to public records.
In its first ruling since the 2008 Legislature gave it new authority, the Mississippi Ethics Commission has ruled a private citizen is entitled to redacted Jackson police initial incident reports involving George Bell III in the slaying of his ex-girlfriend. Read the full article here.
Providing public records is not an extra responsibility
August 31, 2008: Just as refusing even one qualified voter at the polls would be unacceptable, any failure by a custodian of public information to share that information when asked is an unacceptable erosion of a basic right. Closed records put government in charge instead of people. Read the full article here.
Public records for all?
August 28, 2008: In the city of Richland, it's apparent that access to public records is based less on a commitment to observing the letter and spirit of the state's Open Records Act and more on an unfortunate decision to create economic barriers to a free flow of public information.
In Richland, a copy of a police incident report now costs $20. The Madison and Rankin County Sheriff's departments charge $10 for incident reports.
Some other agencies charge less. Florence Police Department charges 50 cents a page for copies. Read the full column here.
Public records: Fees a thinly disguised barrier
August 22, 2008: Since America is not a police state, when a crime occurs in your neighborhood, you have a right to know the basics of what happened.
The founders of this nation knew firsthand the dangers of a government that operated in secrecy, of flimsy charges and of people getting spirited away in dark of night.
For that reason, from the Declaration of Independence's insistence on individual liberty to the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights, government is held accountable. Read the full column here.
Richland public record requests called pricier than needed
August 21, 2008: The cost for public records in the city of Richland can be as much as $35 per request.
Richland Board of Aldermen earlier this week signed off on a unified fee system for public records requests.
Mayor Mark Scarborough said making the change was spurred by a new state law that makes police incident reports more readily available to the public. Read the full article here.
JPS secrecy: Edwards hired in illegal meeting?
August 15, 2008: The wages of secrecy are certainly being paid by the new superintendent of Jackson Public Schools, hired under a cloud that questions the legality of the selection.
It was bad enough that the school board decided against all prudent advice to rush the selection of a new superintendent to replace Earl Watkins who announced he would not seek to renew his contract next June. Read the full column here.
Justice Dept. signs off on state's ambitious ethics-reform law
August 7, 2008: The U.S. Department of Justice has given its OK for Mississippi to put into action the state's most sweeping government ethics and transparency reform in decades.
Gov. Haley Barbour signed into law in May a bill that gives the Mississippi Ethics Commission significantly more authority. Read the full article here.
Police reports: Openness fights crime
August 2, 2008: The Mississippi Legislature earlier this year approved changes in the state's Open Records Law to provide citizens with more access to crime reports.
The idea is that citizens not only should have access to their government, but that opening law enforcement incident reports is a matter of public safety as well as being a crime-fighting tool. Read the full article here.
Police info still hard to obtain
August 1, 2008: A month after a new law went into effect, some local law enforcement agencies still are trying to figure out how to make their crime reports available to the public.
Some cite the newness of the incident report law, which went into effect July 1, others say they fear releasing too much information. Read the full article here.
New law opens incident reports; access isn't free
July 3, 2008: A state law that takes effect today will allow Mississippians access to police incident reports previously considered off-limits to anyone not connected to the crime. But that access will more often than not come with a cost for DeSoto County residents. Read the full story here.
Police expect no problems with new public records law
June 30, 2008: Coast police officials said they don't need to change how they handle incident reports to comply with a new law that makes the paperwork a public record.
Compliance may be an issue for small departments in other areas of the state, some officials said. But, even in South Mississippi, the new law doesn't mean every incident report will be turned over on request or within a day's time. Read the full story here.
Madison Co. increasing online access to public records
June 23, 2008: A group that promotes open access to public records has chosen Madison County’s Web site to be a model for other counties.
The Mississippi Center for Public Policy recently received a grant through the “Transparency in Government Project” to assist counties with providing more information via the web.
Madison County already provides access to board minutes, land rolls and other records through the county’s Web site www.madison-co.com. Read the full story here.
