Local Open Government Blog

375 staff hours at a cost of nearly $15,000 is the non-billable bill for the City of Port Orchard, Washington to fulfill a public records request according to an article in the Kitsap Sun.  Unlike federal agencies and governments in other states, Washington state government agencies can only charge a records requester for the cost of copies. Search time is simply a cost of government in Washington, although more local governments are tracking search expenses and other public records statistics to educate the public and the State Legislature that transparency is not free.