Resident alleges ongoing public records delays and broken email process at Morgan County meeting
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Summary
Resident Austin McKee told the council his public records requests remain unresolved, described a zoning/ordinance enforcement email as a 'dead end', and said he is still waiting for a formal denial; staff acknowledged email migration issues and that some records have been sent but that other requests remain open.
Austin McKee, a Morgan County resident who identified his address to the council, used public comment time to raise concerns about unresolved public records requests and county transparency. "My APRA request is still not been fulfilled. It's been 214 days," he said, and he criticized the county’s zoning and ordinance enforcement email address as a "dead end" that returns undeliverable messages.
McKee said he had followed up by sending messages to staff, including Laura Parker, and that he was still awaiting either the requested records or a formal denial from Anne. He asked the council to address what he characterized as a breakdown in the records process tied, he said, to staff changes and a recent email migration.
Council members and staff responded that some records had been provided (one council member said they had forwarded public records they had in possession) and that the county had experienced an email migration that temporarily disrupted some addresses. Staff and council committed to check on outstanding items; McKee said he will continue to appear at meetings until his outstanding requests are resolved.
The exchange did not produce a formal action; staff noted that one set of previously requested documents is still being worked on and that a response or denial is expected from the records custodian.