Open records, open meetings vital to our form of government

There's a lot to admire about local governmental bodies. With the exception of county commissioners, most locally elected officials are strictly volunteer, and veteran commissioners might argue that even they are underpaid for the headaches they incur in the line of duty.

At least one veteran board member used to joke about voting to double the council's salary, which would bring it to a total of, exactly, zero dollars a year.

It's easy, therefore, to overlook misstep and minor shortcomings of board members who are, for the most part, dedicated to doing the best job possible for their fellow citizens.

And when there are hard decisions to be made, and public criticism, it's easy to see why local boards tend to hunker down and adopt an "us vs. them" attitude.

It's not unusual for small-town citizens, media included, to be greeted with looks that convey the message "What are you doing at 'our' meeting?"

Media and citizens need to treat their elected officials with respect, regardless of whether or not they agree with the decisions made.

Members of those elected bodies, however, need to remember that they were elected to represent the citizens, and that every one of the dollars they spend was taken, by force of law, from the pocket of one of those voters.

"The public's business must be conducted in public."

It's a statement that's key to our system of government.

It's also the reason March 11-17 has been declared Sunshine Week by media organizations and other groups pressing for free, open access to government.

Violations of public meeting laws aren't that common in Nebraska, and most local boards respond to simple requests or, at the most, warning letters from enforcement officials.

"Our experience is that local officials want to abide by the law, but they often don't know how," Attorney General Jon Bruning said.

Last year, Bruning's office received 47 complaints about possible violations of open records or open meetings law, and his office confirmed that there were four violations. All of them were sent letters explaining how the law was violated, and officials were urged to change their practices.

The last time Bruning's office went to court over an open government law was in 1998.

Bruning backs a bill this year, LB622, that would require all public officials in the state to take a one-hour training course on open records and meetings laws.

That would be good idea for the state.

What would be better, however, is for voters to make sure they elect public officials who are committed to being held accountable for all of their actions while in office.