More limits sought on public records

Warning to all journalists, gadflies, watchdogs, political junkies and average citizens seeking government documents: Your access to information may be coming under attack this legislative session.

Several cities, led by Salt Lake City and Mayor Rocky Anderson along with the Utah League of Cities and Towns, want state lawmakers to further restrict access to government documents under the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA).

The movement is causing concern for open records proponents who say GRAMA was a carefully constructed compromise.

"If these proposals are adopted it would radically tip the balance in favor of secrecy," said local attorney Jeff Hunt, who helped craft GRAMA in the early '90s. "GRAMA is really the citizen's window into the workings of government and we ought not to be closing that window. We should be opening that window more. What we should be talking about is more effective sanctions to get government to comply with GRAMA."

As part of their legislative agenda, Salt Lake City leaders want shield laws protecting cities from "burdensome" abuses of GRAMA. Such "abuses" happen when information seekers use GRAMA for wide-ranging "fishing expeditions" similar to what the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah did when it requested every document the city had related to Main Street Plaza.

For that request the city spent countless man-hours poring over e-mails and other records that might contain passing reference to the plaza controversy.

Anderson maintains such abuses are growing. During his 2003 re-election campaign Anderson said the city was hit almost daily with GRAMA requests from Frank Pignanelli's campaign.

"It was extremely disruptive for a lot of people in city government," Anderson said. "It's a very burdensome and abusive tactic to use and there really needs to be some reform especially as to those who abuse the process."

The town of Alta is similarly hoping for change after being inundated with GRAMA requests from an Albion Basin developer.

"This guy is asking for 32 years worth of every record we've ever had," town administrator John Guldner said. In addition, the town has seen identical requests come from multiple people in the same family or company.