States within the union preserve records on court documents, vehicular traffic violations, marriage and divorce certificates, property and lien records, and more, and thanks to South Dakota Open Meetings Law, this data are offered to everyone. This statute, itself in line with the Freedom of Information Act at the national level, offers Ashland Heights residents with details concerning cases of governmental involvement, such as the names and addresses of those involved, the activities leading up an occurrence, effects and sentences handed down, and more. Both authorities and offenders are able to be held responsible for their actions as a result of these laws, which provide the populace with the tools they need to study concerns outside of their authorities.