Jefferson Banner - Opinion
John Foust - JDC

Thanks for your letter of October 20, 1999. This letter will respond to your October 20, 1999 letter on behalf of the JDC. I will respond by paragraph.

Paragraph 3 - Based upon guidance I received from a seminar I recently attended and conversations with the state attorney general and county district attorney's offices, I am now in a position to provide the information you have requested without holding a meeting with JDC board members.

Paragraph 4 - Your request for minutes and agendas from 1994 to present has been partially fulfilled. On October 22, 1999, I personally delivered the electronic records of the JDC minutes from 1999 and 1998.

I am working to complete the redactions in the JDC minutes and agendas as authorized by District Attorney Wambach during a conversation we had regarding JDC records on October 21, 1999.

Paragraph 5 - While I did have a private meeting with Jim, open records was not a topic we discussed. However, the context of his quotes was in the area of cooperating with private individuals to meet the spirit and intent of the open records laws, even if these individuals are "not polite, not nice and don't treat you with respect." (More quotes from Jim)

Paragraph 7 - See paragraph 8 of my October 6, 1999 letter explaining why it is not possible for the JDC to discuss this matter at one of their regular meetings.

However, as stated above in paragraph 3, the information will be provided without the need for a meeting.

Paragraph 9 - All the records you requested will be released as soon as practicable and without delay. However you must understand the vast and time-consuming effort of reviewing and redacting the necessary information to safeguard confidentiality as allowed by the open meeting statutes. Those efforts are underway and most of the information you have requested will be provided as soon as you supply a floppy disk.

cc: District Attorney Dave Wambach, City Administrator Dave Schornack