SNOW Janesville is getting legal help from a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization after the group says the City of Janesville seeks to charge SNOW $1,000 for records about proposed data centers in Janesville.
A piece in the April 24, 2026 issue of The Gazette in Janesville covered the dispute. According to the story:
Midwest Environmental Advocates is a Madison-based law center that helps groups who believe they’re facing environmental injustice. According to statewide online court records, the group has been involved in five similar cases in the last 10 years, including four in which the group advocated for a writ of mandamus — a judiciary action in which a court can order a government official to properly fulfill their duties or correct an abuse of discretion.
SNOW sent a letter to Janesville officials Wednesday expressing frustration over a seven-month-old public records request that SNOW filed seeking information about proposed data center developments at the former General Motors assembly plant.
On Sep. 9, 2025, SNOW sent the city an open records request for all data center proposals the city has received in the past two years. SNOW says the the city’s response to that request has devolved into a months-long ordeal marked by delays, inconsistent communication and charges SNOW considers “prohibitive.”
SNOW says the city has required it to resubmit variations of its request multiple times, while city staff has alternated between closing, reopening and failing to respond to the requests altogether.
The Rock County District Attorney’s Office has also been involved, finding Janesville’s initial response insufficient and threatening to sue the city if it didn’t comply with open records law.
The D.A. told the city it had to provide SNOW with information or the D.A. would file a writ of mandamus.
In October 2025, the city informed SNOW the cost for records would exceed $1,380—an amount that remains largely unchanged despite ongoing negotiations.
SNOW maintains the fee is excessive and unjustified, particularly for a community-based organization whose mission is to help inform residents.“Wisconsin law makes clear that access to public records is a fundamental right,” MEA legal partner Michael Greif said. “Charging excessive fees effectively denies community members that right by discouraging or preventing requests altogether.”
MEA is calling on the City of Janesville to reverse course by granting a fee waiver and turning over the records SNOW has asked for as soon as possible.
