B. How long to wait.

Records must be produced by the authority "as soon as practicable and without delay." Wis. Stat. § 19.35(4)(a). Delay is not the equivalent of a denial, but any delay in granting access may become the basis for the institution of a suit to obtain access. Wis. Stat. § 19.37(1). On the other hand, a response declaring that the requested records will not be produced until some uncertain date in the future will be treated as a denial. WTMJ Inc. v. Sullivan, 204 Wis. 2d 452, 555 N.W.2d 140 (Wis. Ct. App. 1996). The Supreme Court ruled in WIREdata, Inc. v. Village of Sussex, 2008 WI 69, ¶ 59, 310 Wis. 2d 397, 751 N.W.2d 736, that the enforcement action was commenced prematurely “because the municipalities had not denied WIREdata’s requests for the records before WIREdata filed the mandamus action.”