COUNTY SAYS ITS RECORDS RETENTION POLICY IS OUT OF DATE
The Platte County Commission voted Monday to hire an attorney who specializes in Sunshine Law and records retention policies to review and update the county’s procedures.
County officials say the county receives hundreds of Sunshine Law records requests each year. This action follows exceptionally large requests made by two individuals last year, which the county says resulted in the county spending “tens of thousands of dollars to comply with state law.”
“It is time for the Platte County government to update the way we handle Sunshine Law requests,” said Joe Vanover, second district commissioner, in a press release issued by the county this week. “Our records retention policy is so out of date that one person can put us in a position where we have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to ensure only open records are turned over.”
Platte County Clerk Jera Pruitt and Vanover met multiple times with officials from larger governmental bodies in Missouri last fall to study ways to better respond to massive records requests.
“We are actively engaged in collaborative research with other governmental bodies to better understand and improve transparency and records management,” Pruitt said. “At the same time, we recognize the significant administrative burden that large-scale open records place on county offices. Our goal is to find solutions that uphold the public’s right to information while also ensuring Platte County can continue to serve our county effectively.”
Pruitt and Vanover met with representatives from St. Charles County, the City of Columbia, and the Missouri Attorney General’s office in August and September 2024 by video conference and in person.
Platte County hired Lineal Services, LLC in September of 2024 to review the records that were to be turned over in response to the two persons making the massive requests. Originally, the county government budgeted $60,000 to review the records. The amount had to be increased by $35,000 in May of 2025 to complete the review of the requests.
The Sunshine Law allows citizens to request records from governmental bodies. Before the records can be disclosed, they must be reviewed to ensure no private or sensitive information is released. Records are searched for private personnel information, confidential attorney-client communications, other confidential information such as Social Security Numbers, and plans or operational documents that disclosure would impair the county’s ability to protect the security or safety of residents or real property.
“This is an important step for our county to ensure compliance while reducing costs and lessening the time burden on staff by streamlining how we handle open records requests,” commented Allyson Berberich, first district county commissioner.
Attorney Travis Elliott has represented county governments in Missouri for many years. County officials say he is widely known as an expert on county governmental issues.
Elliott assisted Platte County previously with the legal work to implement the senior tax credit program.
Elliott will work with the commission, the county clerk and other county officeholders to update their policies on records retention, responding to Sunshine Law requests, and naming the current custodians of records for the various offices.
When completed, these policies will be formally adopted by the county commission.
