The Georgia Department of Transportation has told Rep. Regina Quick (R-Athens) that it will respond to her open records request for documents about the operation of the department, but only if she pays more than $100,000 in advance.

Matthew Cline, general counsel to GDOT, said Quick’s 51-item request, submitted on Mar. 17, would take up to six months to complete, and the Department would not start work until she paid the search and copying costs, as allowed by the state's open records law.

The first item on Quick’s list related to a request by Oconee County for funds to construct a right turn lane off Highway 316 at U.S. 78 coming from Athens to accommodate Caterpillar. Quick represents three precincts of Oconee County, including the Bogart precinct where Caterpillar is located.

Quick modified and limited her request in an email message to Cline Thursday afternoon, indicating that she will deliver a check tomorrow to cover the costs for the shortened list of items sought.

For more, visit Oconee County Observations.