Board upholds FOIA fee for bridge engineering request; finance director briefs trustees on bridge revenues and major costs

The Grosse Ile Township Board on June 9 voted to uphold the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) coordinator's fee estimate of $119.08 for redacting and producing parts of a bridge-related engineering report, and also received a detailed briefing from the finance director on initial revenues, liabilities and expenditures for the newly acquired toll-bridge fund.

FOIA fee appeal: The board considered an appeal of a $119.08 fee charged to a requester for staff labor to redact an engineering report tied to the toll bridge. The FOIA coordinator said the estimate followed state guidance that labor for redaction be charged at the lowest-paid employee capable of performing the work; staff identified Derek (an employee with access under the NDA) as the relevant person and estimated two hours at $59.54 per hour. Trustees voted to uphold the fee by voice vote; the meeting record shows two trustees—Mark and Margaret—voted "nay" and the remaining trustees voted in favor, so the motion…