Newman Regional Health’s payment policy for Kansas Open Records requests was affirmed by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office after concerns about fairness and need originating from Tyler Curtis.
Initially, Curtis, an Emporia city commissioner running for re-election as part of the election cycle ending Tuesday, had filed a KORA form in early May, requesting information about the hospital’s 2025 budget and budget-to-actual report. Hospital documents indicate estimated cost would be $30, payable before processing. Curtis objected, saying 25 sets of meeting minutes requested as a private citizen could be processed without any fee but requests for the approved budget and budget-to-actual report both needed fees to process, so he filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office. Curtis also says he was charged $90 total, a $30 back charge for the board minutes and the rest for the financial reports.
Correspondence between the hospital and Attorney General’s Office began in mid-September, with the Attorney General’s Office asking for policy details, supporting information and internal communications on the topic. Two weeks ago, Assistant Attorney General John Harris with the Open Government Enforcement Unit wrote Curtis, affirming Newman Regional Health’s policy and indicating one of the two initial KORA requests cost Newman Regional Health employees almost double the fee the hospital ultimately charged Curtis. Harris has closed the investigation.
Hospital policy on KORA requests has Open Records compliance reviews and retrieval and/or assembly to produce done at cost per hour. Duplication costs are done at 25 cents a page, while any digital transmission or mailings are done for $1.50. Any attorney redactions are done at cost, based on lowest-cost hourly wages, salary or billable rates for employees finding, reviewing and/or reproducing the public records requested. Newman Regional Health also provides cost estimates to requestors before starting its process and it will also offer an itemized statement if asked to do so.
