I’ve been busy makin’ big plans But no one needs to know right now

    So, the reporter is sitting in a meeting of a planning and zoning board, and they are discussing the condemnation and purchase of some downtown property from a private developer.  Someone in the room asks what the purchase price is and a representative of the board announces that the board cannot reveal the purchase price because it was purchased under a contract that included a confidentiality clause.

    A what?   Since when can public bodies conduct their business in secret?  That’s something new in their copy of the sunshine law that isn’t in mine.

    This analysis is short and sweet.  You are spending public tax dollars.  You are acting on the public’s behalf.  For that reason, the public has a right to know how much you spent and what you spent it on.  There’s no exception that allows a public body to ever promise confidentiality when it is spending your and my tax dollars.

    This question isn’t gray in any way.  It’s black, and white, and hopefully read all over!