A Letter from the City Attorney - Build It Up, Don't Tear It Down
Over the past fiscal year, the City of Grant has processed a large volume of public records requests from one “concerned citizen”. This last fiscal year, the City of Grant processed over 100 public records requests from one “concerned citizen” alone. These public records requests require significant staff time and legal review. In addition, city officials and the City Attorney were required to respond to inquiries from both the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and the Nebraska State Auditor’s Office. Both agencies thoroughly reviewed the matters raised by one “concerned citizen” and found no wrongdoing by the City of Grant.
The City has a duty to comply with the Nebraska Public Records Act, and the City of Grant takes that responsibility seriously. At the same time, when requests are excessive or involve legal review, it creates additional costs for taxpayers. Those costs are not caused by the city but by the volume and nature of the requests submitted by one “concerned citizen” who made it “concerned citizen’s” mission to submit an endless stream of public records requests to the City of Grant to seek “transparency”.
One “concerned citizen’s” public records requests made up 28% of the entire professional services budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025. This doesn’t include the amount of time that was spent responding to the Attorney General’s Office and the State Auditor’s Office. The professional services budget includes more than just the City of Grant’s attorney’s fees, but “concerned citizen” fails to mention that as well.
The City of Grant was without a City Superintendent for a significant portion of the year, and during a time when significant projects were happening, therefore, city staff and the city attorney had to take on additional responsibilities to fill the workflow created by the absence of a City Superintendent.
Every frivolous request “concerned citizen” files costs the City of Grant and subsequently the taxpayers of the City of Grant money. Every baseless accusation “concerned citizen” makes requires a legal response. And every dollar spent on attorney’s fees — the very fees “concerned citizen” loudly complains about — is the direct result of “concerned citizen’s” own actions.
This is not civic engagement. This is not accountability. This is abuse of the system, plain and simple.
“Concerned citizen’s” actions do not represent the values of responsibility and integrity that “concerned citizen” claims to stand for. It represents selfishness, waste, and disregard for the community “concerned citizen” claims to care about. Enough is enough.
The citizens of Grant should not have to carry the financial and emotional burden of one “concerned citizen’s” vendetta. It is time for “concerned citizen” to stop wasting everyone else’s time and money. Oversight is healthy. But when personal grievances are disguised as public interest, everyone loses. It is time to say enough. Let’s put our energy into building up Grant, not tearing it down.
Tawna Holmstedt