Member of State Firemen’s Association brought action against Association alleging violations of the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
The appeals court held that Association, as an independent State instrumentality, was a public agency whose records were subject to inspection under the OPRA.
Association’s financial activities implicated OPRA’s aim to shed light on the fiscal affairs of government, and to combat waste, misconduct and corruption. The Association was the direct recipient of substantial revenues generated from specific taxes imposed on insurance premiums, it was delegated authority to assure those funds were spent in accord with statutory strictures, and it disbursed funds directly in the form of burial benefits, and both regulated and oversaw the disbursement of relief benefits by local associations to which it distributed funds.