St. Charles Parish Council tables proposed public-records fee schedule after heated debate

The St. Charles Parish Council voted Oct. 20 to table Ordinance 2025-0305, which would have reinstated and amended the parish fee schedule for public-records requests, including a proposed 50¢ per-page charge for electronic records and provisions to pass through credit-card processing fees.

The ordinance was presented by Mister Castro, who said the changes would reinstate fees for public-records requests and add language to exempt entities requesting documents for publication or public bid promotion and to include credit-card fees in total charges. No members of the public spoke at the hearing.

Councilman Pillier opposed the measure, saying he had previously paid for large electronic document sets and that a 50¢ per-page charge could ‘‘have a chilling effect’’ on residents seeking public information. Pillier said one set of drainage plans he had totals about 1,599 pages and that charging per page would deter routine research by residents and journalists.

Councilwoman O’Daniels said she had discussed concerns with legal staff and objected specifically to the 50¢ electronic-page charge. She urged a more calibrated approach to balance public access with cost recovery, noting the potential for very large requests to generate disproportionate fees.

Parish President Matthew Jewell and administration supporters defended the proposed schedule as a limited way to recoup staff time and avoid diverting personnel from core work, especially for ‘‘a small number of requests that generate a very large amount of work.’’ Jewell said other local entities, including the sheriff’s office and school system, charge for records and that parish schedules were broadly comparable to peers.

Councilman Pillier moved to table the ordinance; Councilman Mobley seconded. The motion to table carried, and the ordinance will return to the council only if reintroduced. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally for the table motion.