On Oct. 6, the Hutchinson City Council discussed updating the city code regarding how public records requests are to be handled and gave Information Technologies Director Todd Davis a green light to continue work on a proposal.
At The Tribune, we have a keen interest in the city getting things right on public records policy. In the course of our work reporting on issues of public interest, we often need information from public agencies. Most of the time, questions are easily answered, and officials are typically helpful. Sometimes, though, we need to formally request public records, and how agencies handle records requests can affect the timeliness of our reporting—and what it costs us.
But public records policy can affect everyone, including you, and not just because you’re reading a newspaper where you want to have the most complete story. Anybody can request public records. They aren’t merely public records; they are the public’s records. That is why public records laws and policies, like the federal Freedom of Information Act, the state’s Kansas Open Records Act and Chapter 2, Article 1, Section 4 of Hutchinson’s city code exist: to ensure that the public has access to records, unless there is a valid reason to shield a record from the public.
Davis’ proposal on Oct. 6 had three main points: first, to remove specific fees for records requests from the city code, to be replaced by a statement that the city will comply with state law; second, to establish a fee schedule as a policy separate from the city code; and third, to subscribe to a software system to help the city manage and respond to records requests.
Under the current city code, the city may charge $12 per hour for staff time spent fulfilling records requests, plus 25 cents per page for copies. The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) allows agencies to charge the actual cost of providing records, including employee wages or salary for time spent on the request. Davis spoke about charging for staff time based on the lowest-paid employee who could reasonably fulfill the request and about not charging at all for easily fulfilled requests, during his presentation to the council.
The difference between $12 per hour and actual staff time cost could be significant, especially for requests fulfilled by highly paid professionals. For one example, on the high end, the job posting for the open city attorney position lists a salary of $106,954 and $136,406 per year.
It isn’t unreasonable for the city to want to recoup the actual cost of staff time spent on records requests, but it could have the side effect of discouraging the public from accessing records. That is something for officials to be cognizant of as they consider updating policies.
As for software to manage records requests, Davis said early quotes have been around $14,000 per year but that he would expect time savings well worth the cost compared to tracking requests manually.
The Tribune would welcome a system that actually streamlines and reduces the amount of time required for records requests. As it is, our experience with records requests has been uneven in 2026. Time savings would be extra welcome if the cost per hour goes up, as well.
Whatever decisions the city makes about public records policy, The Tribune will be here, promoting transparency in local government to help the public understand what decisions are being made for them, why, and what they can do.
– The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board