The question presented in this appeal is whether Kentucky River Community Care, Inc., a non-profit corporation which administers a community mental health and mental retardation services program for an eight county region of eastern Kentucky pursuant to Chapter 210 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes, is a public agency for purposes of the Open Records Act and thus obligated to disclose the annual salaries of its employees. The corporation receives additional funds from the federal government which are not relevant to our analysis. The corporation does not dispute this estimate, which is confirmed by Section 3.6 of the contract. The fact that the National Labor Relations Board has concluded that Kentucky River Community Care, Inc., is not a political subdivision of the state for purposes of unionization, to which the corporation attaches great weight, has no bearing on our analysis. The remaining question is whether records disclosing the annual salaries of the corporation's employees are subject to public inspection.
Amounts paid from public coffers are perhaps uniquely of public concern.
We believe the public is entitled to inspect records documenting exact amounts paid from public monies, to include amounts paid for items, or for salaries, etc. Specific sums paid in salary from public monies . . . fall within such purview. OAG 90-30, p. 3. Whatever status the employees of Kentucky River Community Care, Inc., may perceive themselves to hold, it is apparent that if their salaries are paid from public funds the public's interest in monitoring the expenditure of those funds outweighs the employees' expectation of privacy. Kentucky River Community Care, Inc., is therefore directed to release salary records consistent with these principles.