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Names, addresses of those attending meetings released
By MARC KOVAC
COLUMBUS
The Ohio Department of Agriculture has reversed an earlier decision and released the names and addresses of individuals attending Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board meetings around the state.
Bill Hopper, chief legal counsel for the state agency, said in a letter to the Statehouse Bureau for Dix Newspapers and The Vindicator on Thursday that release of the home addresses “is permissible in this instance.”
The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, which is developing enforceable rules for farm-animal care, played host this month to public meetings around the state.
Attendees at those sessions have provided their names and, for some of the meetings, home addresses, before offering their opinions to the board.
Such sign-in sheets, in the past, have been considered public records and were routinely released on request.
But earlier this month, the Department of Agriculture redacted the home addresses from sign-in sheets of more than 90 individuals who attended a listening session in Columbus.
Legal counsel for the agency cited a decision by a Franklin County judge, who ruled that the home addresses of licensed school teachers were not public records.
On Thursday, the Department of Agriculture released the redacted sign-in sheets, but with home addresses revealed.