A C Wharton Jr. Archives - Tennessee Coalition for Open Government

Lawmakers cry foul over release of cost of health insurance

A state agency's release of the cost of lawmaker health insurance caused a commotion among several who tried to stop it, claiming violation of privacy laws. The information, requested by The Tennesseean using the Tennessee Public Records Act, showed that the state has spent $5.8 million since 2008 for health insurance premiums for state lawmakers, with lawmakers contributing $1.4 million toward their health plans. The Tennessean got a first look at the records, requested in February, on Wednesday. The records showed how much each individual lawmaker had paid for his or her health insurance in that time period and how much the state had picked up. State Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin [...]

Memphis report charts new approach to handling public records requests

By Deborah Fisher|2015-06-19T16:53:45-05:00May 5, 2015|Categories: Public Records, requests|Tags: A C Wharton Jr., fees for public records, Memphis, Mike Carpenter, open data, public records request, public records training, Sunlight Foundation, The Commercial Appeal|0 Comments

A top-to-bottom review presented to the mayor of Memphis last week charts a new approach to handling public records requests in Tennessee and takes direct aim at improving the underlying culture of openness. Among the 23 recommendations, it suggests a “fresh start” by re-assigning current public records custodians “to prevent adoption of incorrect methods or bad habits that have formed as part of the culture of the division or the department in which they work.” It talks about a “customer-friendly attitude,” suggests appointing a public records ombudsman to resolve disputes, and recommends a training program that would include a mix of city officials, media representatives and citizens “so each can gain [...]