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Commissioners clarify CORA fee authority; sheriff and records manager cite heavy demand from law firms
Summary
County officials clarified that the county's chief information officer has discretion to set CORA fees; the sheriff's office reported large, time-consuming requests from law firms and insurance companies and staff discussed options for online submissions and updating the county fee resolution.
Commissioners discussed the county's CORA (records) fee procedures on April 14, and county officials said the chief information officer has discretion under existing county resolutions to set fees and time estimates for public-records requests.
The county's counsel explained that the fee schedule and hourly rates are established by resolutions and that the chief information officer (referred to in the meeting as Danielle) may make fee determinations on a case-by-case basis. The counsel recommended continuing that practice.
Sheriff's Office records manager Bobby (under sheriff Bobby Johnson spoke about the volume of requests received by the office and the strain of large requests from law firms and insurance companies. He described a single request that seeks records and call recordings from February 2018 to the present encompassing over 2,100 documents and recordings and warned the commission that these requests impose substantial labor and material costs.
County staff discussed practical options to manage requests, including updating the county's CORA fee resolution (the most recent resolution referenced in discussion appeared to be from 2013) and developing an online CORA submission portal to collect required statutory information and preferences for delivery format. The chief information officer said the initial statutory response (acknowledging a request and estimating time and cost) must be sent within 72 hours and that applicants may narrow requests to reduce cost and processing time.
Jan Longnecker and other members of the public asked about the status of outstanding CORA requests and the effect of a vacant planning and zoning director on records searches related to building permits. Staff said those matters remain in progress and that the public works director is temporarily overseeing planning and zoning functions while the position is vacant.
Ending Officials said they will continue to process pending requests, review the county fee resolution, and consider options for an online submission process to improve CORA handling and transparency.
