State lawmakers could work to change that in 2020
By Alex Burness | The Denver Post
Coloradans seeking to better understand state government or hold it accountable may be hampered by the fact that emails to and from government employees are in many cases wiped out within one month.
The emails of state government employees are usually public records, subject to the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA). But a Denver Post investigation found that most employees’ inboxes are purged regularly and there are wildly inconsistent email retention policies across state government, which employs some 30,000 classified staff members.
At least two state lawmakers say they’re interested in fixing this inconsistency next year.
After learning recently that one state department was starting a policy of purging most emails after 30 days, The Post requested email retention policies for 22 state offices and departments. Their retention schedules ranged from 30 days to seven years, with one office keeping emails permanently.
