Kansas Open Records Act

The Kansas Open Records Act governs most records maintained by City, Counties, School Districts, State Agencies and other Public Entities.

For a complete copy of the Kansas Open Records Act, contact the Freedom of Information Officer or go to Freedom of Information act. The Kansas Open Records Act starts at K.S.A. 45-215

Available Records

Most records maintained by public entities are open for inspection and/or copying by individuals. Commonly requested records include: Ordinances, resolutions, meeting minutes, salaries of public officials and budgets.

Exceptions

The Kansas Open Record Act recognizes that some records contain information which is private in nature. For this reason, the Act lists a number of exceptions.

Records which are closed for this reason may include:

• Personnel information of public employees
• Medical Treatment records
• Records which are protected by the attorney-client privilege or the rules of evidence
• Notes and Preliminary Drafts
• Criminal Investigation records

Although every attempt will be made to provide the information requested, it is not always possible to fulfill the request. There are a number of reasons that a request may be denied:

• The specific record that was requested does not exist
• The request was unclear and should be resubmitted with more detail
• The record that was requested is closed to protect an important privacy interest.

Questions

Contact the local Freedom of Information Officer if you have any questions concerning:

• What records are open and available
• How to obtain a record
• Any dispute relating to open records
• The cost of an open record, or
• Any other questions relating to open records.

For more information please view the Open Records Request Form (PDF). The local Freedom of Information Officer for the City of Russell is Ashley Mai, City Clerk.