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Chairman Coffey urges stricter public‑records practices, says nondisclosure has been abused
Summary
At a March 25 work session Chairman Charles Coffey said the county must follow public‑records law and raised concerns that nondisclosure exceptions are being improperly applied to routine records such as property holdings listed on Q-Public.
At the March 25 work session Chairman Charles Coffey raised concerns about the county’s use of nondisclosure and public‑records practices, saying exceptions to public access are being applied too broadly for routine records.
“I don’t see any reason he should not have it public on Q‑Public,” Coffey said while describing property disclosures and public access; he told fellow commissioners the county must follow state law and that “this standard has not been held with the Commission ... we need to change that.” He also acknowledged there are valid exceptions — for example for certain law‑enforcement or safety matters — but said routine property information should remain publicly available.
No formal action or ordinance was proposed at the meeting; Coffey said he circulated materials for other commissioners to review and invited further discussion if members believed a policy change or action was needed.
The work session record does not show a rebuttal or policy motion on the topic; the matter remained a subject for future consideration by the board and staff.
