MID says Their Digital Records aren’t Really Public Records in Response to a Public Records Request
By Emerson Drake
The meanderings of the MID’s attorney are curious.
The question seemed simple enough when I asked, “since MID throws the DVD recording of their meetings away after 100 days, would it be okay if I took them off of their hands instead.”
The answer I received was three pages long and about as straight forward as the Gordian knot.
Why don’t they want to keep the records? Are they afraid their words will come back to haunt them? MID makes the claim they only use the tapes “for facilitating the preparation of the minutes.” They actually include the phrase “MID does not use, intend, keep, or preserve the DVDs for any additional purpose such as the preservation of quotes or exact words used in a meeting.”
Why wouldn’t they want quotes or exact words? Isn’t that what the minutes are supposed to be?
Please take a few minutes to read their response (below) and see if you don’t have a few questions of your own.
Eye On Modesto 
Time to sell off the MID to a national energy corporation. The irrigation can be determined by another company in a merger.
They are giving you access to the DVD and a copy of it if you are willing to pay their reproducing fee/cost. The fee seem a bit excessive but seems fair enough. The person who wrote MID’s letter must get paid by the word
It’s a public utility company. Their records should be kept permanently and available to the public without charge. They are just trying to control what we know about their practices.
They’re hiding something, I have always suspected there is a shadow figure involved who is siphoning off funds. Time to shut down the MID. They no longer can be trusted.