KSFR News: Questions raised about Santa Fe County violating Open Meetings Act

KSFR Local

SANTA FE (2008-08-21) -- KSFR News has asked the state attorney general's office to investigate whether Santa Fe County has violated terms of the New Mexico Open Meetings Act. News Director Bill Dupuy says KSFR reporters missed attending an open public meeting of the County Development Review Committee because the time, date and agenda for the August 5th meeting were not posted on the county's website. KSFR had attempted to find out about a rumored discussion of oil and gas drilling in Santa Fe County. It was not until after the meeting had taken place that the reporters found the discussion had taken place at the open meeting. The county commission requires that notices of regular and special meetings of all committees be posted in advance on the county's website in addition to newspaper legal notices. On further investigation, KSFR News discovered that there were no such meeting notices for that committee for the period between March 2007 and August of this year. An earlier analysis by KSFR News found that Santa Fe County's efforts to communicate publicly about its work on an oil and gas drilling ordinance have been far less robust than similar planning projects underway in Boise, Idaho, and Grand Junction, Colorado. © Copyright 2008, KSFR