Comments on: Caroline County government: We don’t have to tell you where your money is being spent.

By: Timothy Watson

Timothy Watson — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:50:59 +0000

They know the date range: all this has occurred in the last three or four months after the Board decided to adopt an emergency ordinance vacating several subdivisions.

I don’t have to say, “I want a copy of check #1380934 which was used to pay for advertisement for a public hearing.” If I ask for the cost, they should send me a copy of the check or simply state the cost (therefore saving them the cost and time of copying a check and snail mailing it to me).

By: Maverick

Maverick — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:39:04 +0000

Perhaps we will have to disagree. Your request sounds very vague to me (and apparently to Benjamin W. Emerson too!). I would expect a range of dates or a mention of a type of document at the least to meet “reasonable specificity”. Best of luck!

By: Timothy Watson

Timothy Watson — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:27:11 +0000

Note the second paragraph:

This request for information includes, but is not limited to: the cost for advertising the public hearing, any cost for legal services by the county attorney (not asking for the privileged work of the county attorney, just the cost), as well as the waiver of fees to the Farmers for the Planning Commission hearings that had to be conducted.

The request for records was done with “reasonable specificity”.

By: Maverick

Maverick — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Well… I hate to be siding with the folks that didn’t give you the information you are looking for… but they do have a point. You didn’t ask for any records, you asked for consolidated information which the FOI Act does not include. Try requesting the actual documents that the information you want would be on (legal bills, waiver forms, etc) and you should get somewhere.

Congratulations on taking part in the open records debate – I hope many more citizens follow your lead!

By: Tom James

Tom James — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:23:25 +0000

Get’em Tim!

Enough corruption in Caroline clean it out and kick them out!

By: william e. sparks

william e. sparks — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:21:45 +0000

Ok,

Then maybe we should remind Mr. Ashcraft that he serves at the pleasure of the board and we the citizens elect the bos:)I remember when my dad was the county administrator of the county.I’m not surprised the county attorney answered you in this way.He is the county attorney and not my attorney or yours.But, thank god we can still vote!Good job Tim, atleast THEY know we are watching and thinking.