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County counselors review open-records rules: exceptions, timelines and typical fees
Summary
Presenters reviewed Kansas open-records rules, noting Sedgwick County received 20,821 KORA requests in 2024; they explained statutory exceptions, the three-business-day response timeline, redaction rules, and how fees are estimated for voluminous requests.
Justin Wagner and Kirk Sponsel explained the scope of the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA), telling commissioners that public records include any recorded information the county maintains — email, documents, video — and that Sedgwick County handled 20,821 requests in 2024. Wagner stressed that there are 55 statutory exceptions to disclosure and that when an exception is claimed the response must cite the statutory subsection.
The presenters described the KORA timeline: agencies must respond within three business days; responses can include produced records, a denial citing specific statutory exceptions, or a request for clarification when requests are overly broad. Kirk Sponsel explained fees typically reflect staff or IT time and gave sample per-hour estimates; they recommended staff consult IT and counsel early to produce an informed cost estimate for voluminous searches. “We do have distribution lists and a small media list,” communications staff added, noting the county’s practice to give about two hours’ advance notice to media as a best practice.
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