News reporters will need to file a public records request to get answers to questions for the Wyoming Dept of Corrections after the agency lays off its public information officer two weeks from tomorrow.
The position is one of 165 being eliminated by the agency as it, like the rest of Wyoming state government, deals with a pair of 10% budget cuts ordered by Gov Mark Gordon to help meet a projected billion dollar revenue shortfall.
Eliminating the public information officer raises questions about how the department will continue to quickly inform the public about urgent safety matters such as escaped inmates and COVID-19 at correctional institutions.
The public records request approach would likely be useless in such situations because Wyoming state agencies typically take several weeks to months to answer requests.