Complaint: Springs Utilities withheld text messages in CORA request about data center
An employee has filed a complaint with the Colorado Springs City Council, alleging that Springs Utilities senior leaders withheld over 300 text messages pertinent to a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request concerning the proposed Project Taurus data center. The withheld messages reportedly detailed discussions about electric capacity for the project and other controversial employee conduct. A local advocacy group, Integrity Matters, which initiated the CORA request, has learned of the complaint and is calling for the release of all documents.
A Colorado Springs Utilities employee has lodged a formal complaint with the City Council, accusing senior leadership of deliberately withholding over 300 text messages relevant to a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request. The request pertains to "Project Taurus," a proposed data center located along Garden of the Gods Road in Colorado Springs. The complaint alleges that these messages contained crucial discussions about electric capacity for the data center and included details about company outings and luxury meals, which the employee believes were improperly deemed non-responsive to the CORA request.
Dana Duggan, representing the local advocacy group Integrity Matters, which originally filed the CORA request on July 6th, expressed dismay upon learning of the complaint from News 5 Investigates. Their request specifically sought all communications between Springs Utilities and Rated, the company behind Project Taurus, concerning electricity, power, capacity, or utility infrastructure. While their initial request was closed on August 11th, Duggan noted that additional, important text messages were uploaded on September 3rd, after the complaint surfaced.
Integrity Matters is now urging Colorado Springs Utilities to release all withheld documents, emphasizing that as a public utility, transparency is paramount. The employee who filed the complaint has also called for a City Council investigation into the matter. Springs Utilities has confirmed awareness of the complaint but issued a statement asserting that, to their knowledge, all responsive records to closed CORA requests have been released.