Winnebago County State’s Attorney Marilyn Hite Ross has issued several legal opinions that discourage County Board members from discussing public matters in — gasp! — public.

The muzzle memos are the latest episode in what may be the longest running soap opera in local politics: dysfunction in Winnebago County government.

The most offensive memo is one to County Board members that advises them not to discuss the 1% public safety tax in public because of a lawsuit Sheriff Gary Caruana filed against the county. Caruana doesn’t think the board has given his office enough money to do its job.

The public safety tax amounts to $30.5 million annually of your money that goes into county coffers — and you’re not supposed to know how the County Board intends to spend it? That’s ridiculous.

Other muzzle memos take County Board Chairman Frank Haney out of the picture for board meeting debate, tell board members not to discuss county personnel matters in public, and say that the board should avoid meeting with civic and business leaders individually or in small groups.

Hite Ross’ legal advice suppresses open and honest discussion among county government officials and the general public. That’s not just our non-legal opinion, but the opinion of Chuck Prorok, who worked in the state's attorney's office for 29 years and was chief of the civil bureau when he left the office in 2007.

“The collective message here is that there are things being done in county government that you don't need to know about, that the public doesn't need to know about,” Prorok said. “And that's the wrong message to send.”

Hite Ross has been sending a lot of wrong messages. She has created a form that news organization are supposed to complete to request an interview. And on Wednesday, she had Rockford Register Star reporter Isaac Guerrero escorted from a news conference because he was asking questions “off topic.”

She could have said I’m out of time, ask me on the way to the elevator or call me later, but no, it was essentially shut up and get out.

Guerrero's questions were about the muzzle memos. He didn't ask them until questions about the latest charges in an attempted murder case had been answered.

No questions should be “off topic” for a public official in a public setting. Most elected officials in the region get that. They are generous with their time and answer questions media outlets throw at them.

Hite Ross’ immediate predecessor, Joe Bruscato, was very good at that. Not only was he open at news conferences, he would regularly schedule meetings with the Editorial Board to update us on what was going on in his office. Sometimes the questions were tough and the answers didn't come easily, but he answered questions nonetheless.

Hite Ross sometimes attended those meetings, so her propensity for secrecy is a surprise. Our reporters will continue to ask tough questions. Our readers deserve to know the answers.

Frustration with Hite Ross goes beyond the muzzle memos. Her legal advice also may have killed the painstakingly negotiated deal on 911 dispatch services.

In February, seven municipalities announced they would begin paying Winnebago County for 911 services. Loves Park and Machesney Park already had been chipping in to pay for 911. The agreement emerged from months of study of study and discussion. It was not an easy process for anyone.

Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury said he and Machesney Park Administrator Tim Savage and Winnebago Village President Frank Eubank sent Hite Ross a letter saying that the state's attorney “has not acted in good faith” on the 911 deal.

Hite Ross told County Board members the offer was unacceptable, but Jury said she won’t tell him or the other mayors why.

There’s more to the pattern of not providing information. The county is on the hook for legal fees incurred because of Haney's ethics complaint against County Administrator Carla Paschal. An investigation found that no county employee policy was violated, but the legal fees still need to be paid.

How much? Not even the County Board knows yet because Hite Ross hasn’t given the board the bill even though the investigation ended more a month ago.

If Hite Ross decides to run for election in 2020 we'll remind her that transparency is about a lot more than having a news conference to announce the latest charges in an attempted murder case. We also wonder how many of the board members who are using her advice as an excuse not to deal with public matters in public will support her and vote for her. You probably have a good idea about how to answer that.