SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s newly formed Government Records Office was designed to streamline the state’s public records appeals process. But a KSL Investigators review shows that while the GRO is actively holding hearings and issuing decisions, the time it takes to resolve appeals has more than doubled — likely due to months without a functioning committee and delays in leadership appointments by the state legislature and the governor.

For roughly three months, GRO Director Lonny Pehrson has held weekly hearings. Of the cases that resulted in a written decision after a hearing, 60% were fully denied, while 20% were granted and another 20% received partial relief.

By comparison, the State Records Committee, which the GRO replaced, denied 50% of appeals during the same timeframe in early 202

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