§ 2.04.010. Purpose.

The town board finds that a free society is maintained when government is responsive and responsible to the public, and when the public is aware of governmental actions. The more open a government is with its citizenry, the greater the understanding and participation of the public in government.

As town government services increase and public problems become more sophisticated and complex; therefore, harder to solve, and with the resultant increase in revenues and expenditures, it is incumbent upon the town to extend public accountability wherever and whenever feasible.

The people's right to know the process of governmental decision-making and to review the documents and statistics leading to determinations is basic to our society. Access to such information should not be thwarted by shrouding it with the cloak of secrecy or confidentiality. The town board therefore declares that government is the public's business and that the public, individually and collectively and represented by a free press, shall have access to the records of government in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

(LL No. 5, 2001 § 1)