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County Boss Seeks To Overturn Info Policy

By MICHAEL D. BATES

Hernando Today

Published: March 8, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - County Commissioner Jim Adkins said he will ask his colleagues Tuesday to rethink their vote on charging citizens for the creation of government reports.

Adkins was the sole nay vote last month when commissioners adopted the "Duplication of Documents Fees Policy."

Adkins, who said he has received 50 to 75 e-mails from residents objecting to the charge, agrees the policy is not justified.

"It takes transparency out of government," he said.

Currently, citizens can request copies of government documents and are charged a fee, as allowed by state statutes.
Florida law also backs up the government's right to charge citizens for voluminous requests for information that would take a significant amount of staff's time.

However, there is no law on the books governing a fee for the creation of a new document or report, which is what tax crusader Linda Hayward recently asked for regarding the county's workers' compensation program.

If a citizen wants such a report done, the proper way to do it is to formally ask one of the county commissioners who then can decide whether to assign a department manager or staffer to invest time and energy, board members said.

Commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 10, at the Hernando County Government Center, 20 North Main St. in downtown Brooksville.

Also at that meeting, commissioners will discuss a developer's plan to develop 72 acres on the southwest corner of U.S. 19 and Lake-in-the-Woods Drive with a mix of commercial activity and a 225-unit senior living facility.

Citizens can also comment on Hernando County's application for a $5,644,383 grant related to the Florida Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which provides funding to address the housing foreclosure problem.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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