STATE OF WISCONSIN
Public Records Board
SCOTT WALKER
GOVERNOR

4622 University Ave., 10A
Madison, WI 53702
Telephone 608 / 266-2770

Matthew Blessing
Board Chair

December 17, 2015

STATEMENT CONCERNING PUBLIC RECORDS BOARD’S CONSIDERATION
OF TRANSITORY RECORDS
When the Public Records Board issued the agenda for the August 24 meeting, we anticipated
addressing a number of items which we believed to be relatively routine and uncontroversial. It
has become clear in the past few weeks that there is considerable interest in some of the items
that were included in the nine page index attached to the meeting agenda. However, public
concern over the management of transitory records has led the board to reevaluate the matter.
Part of our goal as the Public Records Board is to strike a balance between ensuring open and
accessible government records and setting reasonable requirements on governmental bodies and
officials relative to the retention of records. Our default position is, of course, toward transparency.
Given the concerns that have been expressed regarding our decisions at the August 24 meeting,
we believe it is in everyone’s interest to revisit that discussion about transitory records with clear
notice to the public of the intent to address that issue.
Thus, the board will revisit actions taken relative to item number 4(a)(ii), index # 103 on the
agenda for the August 24 meeting, and will place those items on a detailed agenda for an
upcoming meeting. We hope that this will alleviate any need for the public to suffer the cost of any
litigation relating to the verified complaint that was filed with the Dane County District Attorney.

Respectfully,
Matthew Blessing
Chair, Public Records Board
Phone: (608) 264-6480
Email: matt.blessing@wisconsinhistory.org
CC: Georgia L. Thompson, Executive Secretary of the Public Records Board