Delaware Judge Orders Employee Salaries to be Disclosed

Transparency victory in Delaware: a county judge ruled Wednesday that a city water authority must fulfill a FOIA request from a town council member to disclose employee salary data.

From the Associated Press:

After the authority refused to release its records, saying it is not a public body under state law, the General Assembly last year amended Delaware’s public records law to specify that the authority is subject to open meetings and open records requirements.

Legislators passed the bill subjecting the water authority to the FOIA law shortly after the attorney general’s office ruled that it was not a public body under the act because it does not receive or disburse public funds or provide advice or recommendations to other public bodies or public officials.

But after the bill was passed, the authority still refused to comply, prompting the attorney general’s lawsuit.