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Eddy County reports 73% surge in public‑records requests; officials estimate $1.3 million annual cost
Summary
Eddy County administrators told commissioners on May 19 that open‑records (IPRA) requests rose from 570 to 987 year‑over‑year for Jan–Apr, a 73% increase, with in‑state and out‑of‑state requests up 64% and 79% respectively and staff estimating about $1.3 million per year to fulfill them.
Eddy County officials told the Board of Commissioners on May 19 that public‑records requests have surged, imposing substantial time and cost burdens on county staff.
Senior IPRA administrators Dora DeGroot and Sienna Cabezuela‑Florez said requests from January through April increased from 570 in 2025 to 987 in 2026 — a 73% rise. DeGroot said in‑state requests rose about 64% and out‑of‑state requests rose about 79%, and that many incoming requests are more complex and require greater coordination among departments.
"The increased IPRA requests were more complex, requiring more time and coordination between departments to fulfill the request," Cabezuela‑Florez told the board. DeGroot added that "many of these requests were being used on social media as clickbait, generating an income for the IPRA requestor."
Chair James (Bo) Bowen clarified county practice on fees, saying the county does not charge for fulfilling IPRA requests unless the requester asks for paper copies or a USB: "The County did not charge a fee to fulfill IPRA requests unless paper or a USB was used." County staff estimated the direct cost to the county to fulfill records requests at about $1.3 million per year.
County administrators said the volume and complexity are stretching staff resources and require more interdepartmental coordination. No formal policy change or fee increase was proposed during the meeting; the presentation was filed as an informational item and accompanying slides were recorded with the meeting materials.
The board did not take formal action on the IPRA update but received the presentation and acknowledged the cost and workload implications for county departments.
