Anatomy of a CORA Request

... Plus some news and a lot of gratitude.

Happy Thursday, readers! Today I want to talk about an incredibly interesting (to me) and important subject (for all of us): The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA).

If you follow City Council you’ve heard the term in meetings, likely with some disdain. Perhaps, like me, you have been subjected to a CORA request and had to review your communication with one or more of your representatives or City Staff to see if you have any “responsive documents.”

It is an important reminder to play by the rules.

As the Colorado Supreme Court stated in the 1983 ruling, Cole vs. State:

“A free self-governing people needs full information concerning the activities of its government not only to shape its views of policy and to vote intelligently in elections, but also to compel the state, the agent of the people, to act responsibly and account for its actions.”

If you have burning questions about the going ons of our local government. CORA is, or can be, a key to unlock all kinds of information, provided the process works as it should…

Know Your Rights to Information: The Basics

The Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition put together this super handy and helpful guide for understanding what a CORA request is, what it isn’t, and offers excellent advice about how to submit your own request.

I do recommend checking out this resource before submitting a CORA request, as it will help you (maybe) get your request right the first time, and avoid excessive costs and possible delays. Once the request is received the government has three business days to respond to your request, or seven if there are extenuating circumstances. How’s that for efficiency?

However…

If, however, you make a request like I did this week, for, “any and all emails to and from Loveland City Manager Steve Adams from May 1, 2020 through February 2, 2024” (tomorrow), you may, as I was, be told to narrow your request.

If you’re thinking I probably should have taken my own advice and read the CFOIC guide before throwing this vast request into the public record (and CORA requests are public record), you would be right. I learn from my mistakes, and now so can you.

So, like any humble information hound, I revised my request. It now states:

“I am requesting all personal and private emails, including attachments from Steve Adams to Delynn Coldiron, Patti Garcia, former Chief Ticer, Mcwhinney employees xxx and xxx, Chad and Troy McWhinney, any and all representatives of Whole Foods, Moses Garcia, former Council persons Dave Clark, Don Overcash, John Fogle and Leah Johnson; current Council persons Dana Foley, Andrea Samson and Patrick McFall, and the current and former airport commissioners and directors at FNL.” (FNL is the Colorado Regional Airport).

This will likely be determined to be too broad as well… And if accepted, will likely come with a giant bill. But hey, I want to get my request into the public record before City Manager Adams leaves office.

CORA Stories

It turns out I’m not alone… At least one resident more experienced with CORA than myself shared her experience.