Task force continues records request reform discussions

CHEYENNE — A legislative task force charged with proposing updates to the Wyoming Public Records Act concluded its second working meeting Monday, highlighting an ongoing division between advocates pushing for rapid transparency and government entities concerned about their capacity to comply with accelerated deadlines and unfunded mandates.

Established in August, the task force — led by Wyoming Public Records Ombudsman Darlena Potter — identified three key areas during initial discussions last month: shortening public records request fulfillment timelines, standardizing fee schedules, and addressing burdensome, often out-of-state, data-mining requests.

The conversations in the second meeting focused primarily on finding a workable compromise. Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, emphasized the need for participants to develop formal written proposals, including specific language for compromise, to be reviewed at the committee’s final meeting in November.

Timelines

A central point of contention remaining from the task force’s first meeting was the proposed reduction in mandatory response timelines.

Current Wyoming statute grants government entities seven business days to acknowledge a request and up to 30 calendar days to produce the requested documents. The draft bill proposed shrinking these periods drastically to three business days for acknowledgment and 10 calendar days for production.

During the first session, municipal leaders voiced strong opposition. 

Mills Mayor Leah Juarez stated that shortening the production deadline to 10 days could force staff to “cut corners” and potentially require police officers to be brought in on days off solely for reviewing and redacting sensitive documents.

This resistance was reiterated in the second meeting by other municipalities and state agencies.

Casper Chief of Staff Fleur Tremel said a 10-day response time is unrealistic for complex requests, which she said she sees pretty often. 

She noted that a single public records request in Casper can involve multiple departments, such as legal, planning, police, human resources and fire, with each having their own files and custodians that staff must coordinate with.

The University of Wyoming’s Mike Hill, who works in the General Counsel’s Office, said the accelerated three-day acknowledgement and 10-day production period was “a little bit aggressive.” He said he prefers maintaining current deadlines, arguing that compliance would necessitate additional staff and resources.

He also said his team is working on uploading more public records online to make materials more easily accessible. He said UW currently receives around 200 requests per year. 

In an attempt to explore a compromise, Potter asked what a 20-day timeline would look like. Several entities responded that that could be met for most public records requests, but for ones that take longer, Potter would be receiving more requests for extensions on the timeline.

Fees

The fee structure for public records and the resulting high costs, often driven by attorney review, remained a core point of discussion during the task force’s second meeting.

Natrona County resident Sarah Bieber voiced opposition to the costs, recalling an instance where she was informed she would have to pay upward of $8,000 to access school board and school district emails related to her own child. 

She argued that governmental entities are already funded by taxpayer dollars, saying it is unfair to pay further for additional information.

Municipalities defended their need for fees, citing staff time required for complex requests. 

Casper City Clerk Amanda Ainsworth said that a request for 10,000 emails could occupy a records technician for a month or two, while a request for all city employees’ emails could take years to go through. Fees, she argued, are necessary to ensure taxpayer funds serve the entire community and prevent a single requester from derailing an employee’s time.

To offset costs for smaller requests, cities like Riverton currently waive the first hour of staff time used for fulfillment.

Legal review is also often critical. Police departments, for instance, require attorney review to ensure compliance with the Public Records Act before releasing records such as those that deal with juvenile or sensitive cases.

Data-mining solutions

The issue of high-volume requests, particularly from out-of-state entities aiming to mine data for commercial purposes, was a focus in both task force meetings.

Some communities, like Mills, address this without legal conflict by requiring those requesters to inspect the documents by hand and in person. This often deters large, out-of-state requests.

At the meeting Monday, Case followed up on this concept, suggesting the committee explore ways to formally separate commercial requests from public interest requests. 

He proposed that for genuine data miners, the option for the keeper of the records to require in-person inspection in local offices could effectively manage the burden.

Next steps

Currently, the penalty for a “knowing or intentional” violation of the Wyoming Public Records Act is limited to $750. The proposed draft legislation suggests raising this maximum penalty to $2,000.

Potter, whose office is currently staffed solely by herself, said she wants to find a comprehensive solution that strengthens transparency but is also realistic for communities in Wyoming.

With the legislative budget session starting in February, Case urged all stakeholders to submit specific, actionable written proposals to the ombudsman and the committee. 

The task force acknowledged that given the differences between transparency advocates and government entities concerned with capacity, a full overhaul might not be achieved this year, and the work may need to continue into the next interim session.

This story was published on Oct. 22, 2025.