State Auditor David Yost says public records-related citations across the state fell last year, but some officials still need to work harder to comply with the law.
Statistics released Sunday show 321 citations were issued against 267 public entities in 2017, down 22 percent from the 414 citations issued in 2016 against 357 public entities. Nearly six in 10 of the violations were against villages and townships. Most involved failure to attend state-required public records training, lacking a public records policy or failing to make one available to the public. Yost reminded officials government records aren't theirs; they belong to the public. The Republican released his report to coincide with the kickoff of national Sunshine Week, a celebration of access to public information.
