Wisconsin Attorney General, Brad D. Schimel, writes, "It is imperative that we recognize that transparency is the cornerstone of democracy and that citizens cannot hold their elected officials accountable in a representative government unless government is performed in the open" (Office of Open Government, Open Meetings Law Compliance Guide 2018). With this in mind, the Public Records Law and the Open Meetings Law are especially important to learning about town governance.
Public Records Law
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Office of Open Government, the Wisconsin Public Records Law took much of its present form in 1981, and is in place to provide the public with reasonable access to public records at reasonable cost. See these sources for the history of the Freedom of Information Act.
>Electronic Frontier Foundation: History of FOIA
>U.S. Department of Justice: Legislative Evolution of the FOIA
>History.com: Freedom of Information Act
The Lac du Flambeau Town Board approved the town's first Public Access to Records Ordinance on December 28, 1982. That document served the town until October 3, 2018, when another Town Board revised it substantially by approving Open Records Ordinance 2018-01.
Marquette University has released an "audit" of ten states, including Wisconsin, assessing "the functions of state freedom of information laws." All in all, Wisconsin's sheriff's offices, road departments, and county administrative departments fair very well in the audit when compared with the other states. The audit does not address town governments.
Check the following for additional information:
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Wisconsin Public Records Law, Fact Sheet #7
>Office of Open Government: Public Records Law Compliance Guide 2019
>Office of Open Government: Public Records Law Powerpoint 2016
>Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
>National Freedom of Information Coalition
>Electronic Frontier Foundation: History of FOIA
>U.S. Department of Justice: Legislative Evolution of the FOIA
>History.com: Freedom of Information Act
The Lac du Flambeau Town Board approved the town's first Public Access to Records Ordinance on December 28, 1982. That document served the town until October 3, 2018, when another Town Board revised it substantially by approving Open Records Ordinance 2018-01.
Marquette University has released an "audit" of ten states, including Wisconsin, assessing "the functions of state freedom of information laws." All in all, Wisconsin's sheriff's offices, road departments, and county administrative departments fair very well in the audit when compared with the other states. The audit does not address town governments.
Check the following for additional information:
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Wisconsin Public Records Law, Fact Sheet #7
>Office of Open Government: Public Records Law Compliance Guide 2019
>Office of Open Government: Public Records Law Powerpoint 2016
>Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
>National Freedom of Information Coalition
Open Meetings Law
According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Office of Open Government, the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, was enacted in 1976, to promote openness in government and provide Wisconsin citizens an opportunity to observe and learn about their government operations. Check the following for additional information.
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Training Video on the Open Meetings Law
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, Fact Sheet (Rvsd 2020)
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Public Participation in Town Government, Fact Sheet #20
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Town Meetings, Fact Sheet #6
>Office of Open Government: Open Meetings Law Compliance Guide 2019
>Office of Open Government: Open Meetings Law Powerpoint 2016
>Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
>National Freedom of Information Coalition
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Training Video on the Open Meetings Law
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, Fact Sheet (Rvsd 2020)
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Public Participation in Town Government, Fact Sheet #20
>University of Wisconsin-Extension's Local Government Center: Town Meetings, Fact Sheet #6
>Office of Open Government: Open Meetings Law Compliance Guide 2019
>Office of Open Government: Open Meetings Law Powerpoint 2016
>Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council
>National Freedom of Information Coalition