Radio Free Katy

June 1, 2007

The Honorable Governor Rick Perry

Austin, Texas

RE: An Open Letter To The Governor Perry Regarding HB 2564

Dear Governor Perry:

At the eleventh hour of this latest legislative session a bill, known as HB 2564, passed the Texas House and now sits on your desk awaiting your approval or disapproval. The Katy Citizen Watchdog$, a grassroots group of concerned parents and taxpayers, are urging you NOT to approve this bill into law. At a time when your office has been leading the charge for more transparency in state government, this bill will seriously cripple taxpayer access to information that the public has a right to. If passed into law this legislation will allow school districts, who already have an abysmal track record of transparency, to levy additional charges on individuals and grassroots organizations that are trying access information about how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent. The additional charges would not apply to politicians, academic research groups/organizations or news agencies. This is nothing more than anti-taxpayer legislation that will make it more difficult for individual activists and activist groups, like the Katy Citizen Watchdog$, to ascertain public information that they should be entitled to for free. Governor Perry, I can tell you first-hand how one-sided the system already is when individuals try and deal with their local school districts. In a system already stacked against the ordinary taxpayer, this legislation is going to further impede those of us that want full accountability from our elected school board members and school district officials. Just last year, a Katy Citizen Watchdog member secured a Texas Attorney General ruling which ordered Katy ISD to reimburse him for an excessive charge that was levied on public information that had been requested.

If passed into law, this bill will essentially allow school districts to charge whatever fees they want when we, the taxpayers – the ones paying the freight in these districts, make requests to see how OUR money is being spent. What we don’t need is legislation that allows school districts opportunities to be less accountable and less transparent with OUR tax dollars. Making public records cost prohibitive slaps in the face of government by, of and for the people.

To quote former Supreme Court Justice Louise Brandeis, “Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman."

Sincerely,

Christopher E. Cottrell

Co-Founder/Katy Citizen Watchdog$

Editorial Policy