(File Photos by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
SALEM LAKES, Wis. — During the Village of Salem Lakes Board meeting Tuesday night, Jan. 20, Trustee Bill Hopkins publicly criticized village residents for using Wisconsin’s public records law and suggested changes that critics say could restrict access to information during an active local election season.
Hopkins made the remarks in open session while addressing Village President Rita Bucur and the board, requesting that the village revisit and potentially revise its public records policy. In doing so, he referenced two residents by name, and argued that the village should require advance payment before records are even reviewed by legal counsel.
“I’d like to ask that we put on the agenda, and this is in respect to open record requests, to take a look at our current policy as it applies to state law and see if we can’t update ours a little more, such that when individuals such as Mr. [Taxpayer number one] and Mr. [Taxpayer two] start asking for days’ worth of work, copies going back three years in some cases, that those charges will be paid for in advance before the documents are even sent to legal,” Hopkins said during the meeting.
The comments were made publicly and were critical of residents who have relied on Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.39, Wisconsin’s public records law, to request documents from the village. One of the requests involved the village budget, which is generally considered readily available public information. Another sought copies of legal billing records, as the village has faced ongoing criticism for what residents describe as excessive spending on outside attorneys over the past several years.
One of the residents referenced at the meeting told Kenosha County Eye he was informed he would need to pay more than $80 to obtain records he believed should be readily accessible, including budget-related documents. He said the cost demand left him feeling that the village was attempting to discourage disclosure rather than comply with the public records law. Kenosha County Eye is not naming either individual, citing concerns that the public call-out at the meeting may have been embarrassing.
Under Wisconsin law, municipalities may require prepayment for a public records request only when the actual, necessary, and direct cost to locate and reproduce the records exceeds $50. Even then, state law limits labor charges to the hourly wage of the lowest-paid employee capable of locating the requested records. Public bodies are prohibited from inflating fees or using costs as a deterrent to lawful requests.
Wisconsin law is also clear that public bodies may not charge requesters for time spent redacting records. In Milwaukee Journal Sentinel v. City of Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that the public records statute “contains no authority for an authority to charge a requester for the cost of redacting information from records,” making redaction a mandatory duty of the records custodian, not a billable service.
Critics say the comments and recent fee demands suggest an effort by village leadership to restrict access to information at a time when residents and potential candidates are seeking records related to village spending, including attorney fees. Those concerns have been directed at actions by Village President Rita Bucur, Village Clerk Sara Spencer, and Trustee Hopkins, who residents believe are driving what they describe as unlawful and exorbitant public records charges.
Hopkins, who is not seeking reelection this spring, raised the issue despite the fact that state law already governs prepayment thresholds and cost calculations. The village’s outside attorney, Remzy Bitar of Municipal Law & Litigation, is widely regarded as well-versed in public records law. Critics argue that despite this, the village has repeatedly taken positions that conflict with settled Wisconsin law.
Kenosha County Eye Editor Kevin Mathewson said access to public records is essential to informed voting and government accountability.
“Wisconsin has one of the strongest public records statutes in the country, and my website exists in part because of that law,” Mathewson said. “Public records are often the only thing standing between an uninformed and an informed electorate. Any attempt to restrict access to records or inflate costs to obtain them is an assault on transparency and raises serious questions.”
Mathewson noted that Kenosha County Eye has previously sued the Village of Salem Lakes over public records violations and prevailed, resulting in the village issuing payment to resolve the matter. He said the concern now is that residents who are less familiar with public records law may feel pressured into paying unlawful fees for information that should be publicly available, such as the village’s budget and its spending on outside legal counsel.
With local elections approaching, residents and candidates say access to budgets, contracts, and legal billing records is critical to evaluating village leadership and spending priorities. Any public records policy adopted by the village, however, cannot be more restrictive than Wisconsin’s public records statute under state law.
30 Responses
Is the name of this game
Pop Guns bring shame to the Village again.
Yes, his nickname from the Riverview school board days.
I mean it makes sense. If people are going to ask the village staff for large open records request on the villages dime, then they should be responsible for some of that cost.
Isn’t this the age of information? Just another way to make a dime, slap up another paywall. Greedy bastards.
Now that every person associated with the village has a village-owned tablet, records are easier to obtain.
Side-note: Wonder how much those iPads costs the Village? Why would people who go to one meeting a month need an iPad?? What a waste of money.
The tax payers are the dime!!!! Our money pays for that building to function!!
It all our money.
It’s not the government’s money.
We are the government.
It’s all our money. Every dollar !
Ignorance is bliss
The requesters are paying, why make a scene out of it. Last I checked it’s what the clerk is required to do this by law. Maybe? She doesn’t want to do that part of the job, I get it I wouldn’t want to either, but it’s the requirement of the job.
Thank god Hopkins is out ✌🏻
He’s still has months to go !!!
He looks to inflict as much damage as possible on his way out.
Personalities like this can’t just go away quietly.
He MUST LEAVE A LEGACY !
Something he will be remembered by.
Sad to say, he’ll be remembered for a lot already
What Legacy? What did he make better?
Damn, it has been a bad couple of months to have the last name Hopkins!
First there was Brian Hopkins (not related to Bill), the former general manager on the well respected On The Border Gentleman’s Club, who was charged with sex trafficking charges back in December. Now, there is another Hopkins, Big Bully Bill, a Salem Lakes trustee who is publicly calling out law abiding citizens for exercising their first amendment rights! Ay Caramba!😩
Sara Spencer tried to make a resident pay for fees for FOIA requests and was gossiping with the office ladies that because he was filming them he was weird and other nasty things when he was being respectful. They don’t know what the first amendment is at Salem Lakes Village Hall and the sheriff protects them.
She’s terrible. I hope she’s the next to go. This woman loves to spend our money.
Hooterville at its finest
Tell me why the budget, isnt on the website as a proposed budget? In detail.
Hiding information I suspect.
Budget should include the comparisons to previous year just so that the big changes can be reviewed.
Seems like the village isnt smart enough to put it on the website to download.
The village got what they voted for. And they have missed the date to run so we are stuck with those who are the new candidates.
KNOW your candidates before you vote.
Someone (yes I know who he was) yelled atmy face that fkn Hopkins was a conservative. NOT HARDLY SON! Is as fuckng liberal as can be.
vote wisely.
I wrote for the local weekly and covered Silver Lake when it was still a village. Hopkins is from there. This was a game that village likes to play when I asked for records. He’s learned nothing. It is to Salem Lakes benefit that he isn’t running again.
Gail, you’re right. Bill Hopkins is all about control and, frankly, he’s clueless. He treats people terribly and carries a lousy attitude, what’s he so mad about when we’re the ones getting screwed? Just look at the mess he’s been part of over the last decade; he’s done nothing for Silver Lake. He works for the employees, not the constituents. He’s not running because he doesn’t want to face the responsibility for the financial damage he’s caused alongside his buddies Rita and Cassandra. His final move will be forcing a TID on us. Many in Silver Lake won’t miss him, though we still wish him well.
I don’t have all the facts on the records requests but it is clear there is a lot of back and forth. Seems things like a budget should be easy to share.
But this sort of thing shouldn’t be a reason to tear down a person and drive petty insults. I worked with Bill Hopkins in the healthcare industry and he was well liked by many there. He is also a veteran who rose to the highest enlisted pay grade in the US Navy, and received many awards for excellent service to our nation. Sorry to see such hateful remarks.
Someone can be good at one thing and not another. He is way out of bounds here. Needs to be gone. If you don’t want to answer to the electorate then who?
I agree with you, treat others the same way they treat you, enough said.
I am old enough to remember when Rita Bucher was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I agree what happened??? She is even mutual friends with people from Kenosha Exposed. Aka: Stoner Stephany and don’t forget her love for aviation with Archie Bunker aka James Beinecke.
Kevin is the expert on Public Records Request. A class would be awesome! You know the right way to go about it and to get past all the hurdles the towns/villages put us through.😁
Don’t forget how Hopkins gave his buddy 200ft. of Rock Lake shoreline!!!Traded the taxpayers wetlands
for a deal for a friend with Cassandra’s help!! Shame
That’s what political friends are for.
They could save a lot of time and money if they would make their website more transparent.
Pot calling the kettle black…..it wasn’t too long ago that Big Bill and his SIlver Lake Gang were filing public record requests at Wilmot, making websites, and acting like the smug a-hole he is. What ever happened to your buddy, Joy and the request of the crusaders?
Vote the clerk and president out or recall both of them.
It’s an over staffed office with nepotism