More reasons to enforce openness

Gazette Editorial Board

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Is it just us, or is there a lot to talk about these days in regards to Iowans' access to public information and meetings where government officials do business?

It's national Sunshine Week again, our annual check-in and reminder of the critical importance of government transparency.

And even as an Iowa House committee debates this week the details of a bill that would establish a public information board to resolve disputes and enforce state open meetings and open records laws, a number of recent incidents in our region provide more evidence that such a board is needed.

Last month, Iowa City schools settled a lawsuit after failing for years to comply with two parents' open records requests.

The month before, West Branch city officials considered limiting recording devices and prohibiting newspapers from city council meetings. City leaders, appropriately, scrapped the idea when confronted by advocates of openness.

There have been murkier cases, as well, where local boards restricted public access in ways that were technically legal, but clearly not in the spirit of openness.

Such as downtown Iowa City's tax-funded self-supported municipal improvement district board's decision to close its meetings to the public, or Cedar Rapids Community Schools administrators' decision to ban the public from enrollment/facilities advisory committee meetings.

These and other incidents clearly illustrate our need for more transparency and clarity to ensure Iowans' rights to open government and freedom of information.

An upcoming state report on accountability is expected to add even more fuel to the cause. The Gazette and the Iowa Center for Public Policy worked together to investigate government transparency in the state as part of a national Center for Public Integrity project. Findings for Iowa and other states will be released Monday.

Certainly there are some bright spots at the local and state level - those governmental entities and offices that respond quickly and completely to open records requests, broadcast meetings, or post documents online. Johnson County's website, for example, just won a national award from non-profit transparency advocate Sunny Review, which evaluated 6,000 government websites.

As Iowa legislators consider amendments to SF 430, they should recognize the value of a public information board with sufficient authority and resources to enforce Iowa's sunshine laws.

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