EDITOR:
I am writing to raise a procedural concern regarding Platte County’s Sunshine Law intake and acknowledgement practices, based on my experience across multiple requests submitted over time.
I have observed that Sunshine requests are acknowledged inconsistently. In some instances, acknowledgements occur promptly and include information regarding anticipated timelines or fees. In other instances, acknowledgements occur days later, or consist only of a brief confirmation of receipt without any indication of whether responsive records exist, whether a statutory delay is being invoked, whether fees are anticipated, or when completion may be expected.
In at least one instance, a Sunshine request was acknowledged and closed the same day following a conversation with a single county elected official, without any indication that a broader search for responsive records had been conducted or documented. This illustrates how, in the absence of a standardized intake and acknowledgement procedure, Sunshine compliance decisions can appear ad hoc and difficult for requesters to understand or evaluate.
This variability makes it challenging for requesters to rely on a predictable Sunshine compliance process. More broadly, the lack of a consistent, documented acknowledgement and intake framework appears to increase the risk of missed statutory obligations, miscommunication, and unnecessary disputes regarding compliance with Chapter 610, RSMo.
I am not raising this concern in connection with any single request, but rather to note what appears to be a gap in uniform procedures governing Sunshine acknowledgements and initial record searches. Establishing a consistent practice—clearly stating receipt, scope of search, anticipated timing, fee status, or invocation of any statutory extension—would promote transparency, reduce confusion, and help mitigate potential compliance and liability concerns for the County.
This observation is offered in the interest of transparency, good governance, and the consistent administration of the Sunshine Law.
--Andrew Champlain
Platte County 
