MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission will have to re-appoint Alfonso Morales as Milwaukee police chief. The City Attorney’s Office found the commission violated open meetings law by not giving proper notice that the issue would be heard during its meeting on April 5. Alderman Terry Witkowski is accusing the commission of making […]
Tag: Wisconsin Open Meetings Law
Wisconsin Supreme Court wrestles over open meetings law
The Wisconsin Supreme Court wrestled with how broadly to apply the state's open meetings law in a case Wednesday that open government advocates warn could provide a gateway to getting around public access requirements.
The lawsuit was brought by the parent of an Appleton Area School District student who said meetings of a committee charged with reviewing course material for a ninth grade English class should have been open to the public.
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Important open meetings case before Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is to hear arguments in a case that could give school boards and other governmental bodies a way around the open meetings law.
The case up for argument Wednesday focuses on whether meetings of a committee created by employees of the Appleton Area School District to review books for use in a ninth grade class should have been open to the public.
More broadly the court will examine whether committees created in the same way that the one in Appleton was brought together allows them to be exempt from the law.
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Wisconsin democrats call for enshrining open records, meetings law in constitution
Democratic lawmakers in Wisconsin are calling for a constitutional amendment to protect the state’s open records and meetings laws from future tinkering.
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Your Right to Know: Vukmir wrong on records law
From Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council: State Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, is making a novel legal argument to dodge a public records request. It’s one that, carried to its logical extreme, could neuter Wisconsin’s Public Records Law.
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NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for July 26, 2013
From NFOIC: A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week.
While you're at it, be sure to check out State FOIA Friday Archives.
Wisconsin DOJ sets 3 seminars on public records, meetings
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Wisconsin judge’s sealing of records raises concerns
From SFGate: BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis. — A Jackson County judge who sealed the identities of defendants in three criminal cases defended the move as an effort to protect the innocent, but open-records advocates blasted the action as a violation of the public's right to know.
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Sarah Karon: Voucher schools should be more open
From Wisconsin State Journal: Back in 1990, when Milwaukee launched the nation’s first publicly funded voucher program, participating schools could enroll no more than 49 percent voucher students. These schools were considered private, because the majority of their students paid private tuition.
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Let the sun shine on public oversight
Opinion from Superior Telegram:
Sunshine Week is March 10-16, 2013. Please join me in celebrating Wisconsin’s vibrant “sunshine laws,” the Public Records Law and the Open Meetings Law. These laws — and their diligent observance by records custodians and meetings organizers — provide broad access to information about how our state and local governments operate.
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In Oshkosh, Wisc., transparency is key
From Government Technology:
In Oshkosh, Wisc., transparency policies are a priority. In the city, these policies make agencies run more efficiently, and provide the public with more services and information.
And on March 10, the city will showcase its commitment to transparency during Sunshine Week – an event that encourages governments from across the nation to discuss how transparency can provide value to the public.
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