Every lawmaker should value and practice transparency. I was concerned to learn that the Washington County Commission voted to conceal rather than publish the legal analysis that was produced with tax dollars. The analysis pertained to questionable ordinances affecting public lands.
I requested an opinion from the Attorney General to shed light on whether the ordinances were constitutional (response: very likely not) and the likelihood that they will result in significant legal costs to taxpayers (response: very high).
It was important to me that the constituents of Washington County had access to the kind of legal analysis that the Commission wanted to conceal.
County public dollars are precious. They fund emergency response, public health and safety, the court systems that protect our rights, and other services. Idahoans are not served when these funds are wasted on political games and losing court battles.
You can read more about this important issue from the Idaho Press.