Del City adopts updated open‑records request form and fee schedule following state law changes

Del City Council on Dec. 1 adopted updates to its open‑records request form and fee schedule to comply with recent amendments to Oklahoma law and to clarify how the city will charge for staff time and copies.

A council member proposed replacing the existing, ambiguous benefit-based calculation with explicit hourly rates to make costs transparent to requesters. The council approved the following modified fee structure per the motion: clerical personnel — $25 per half hour; intermediate supervisor — $30 per half hour; professional mid‑management — $40 per half hour; management — $50 per half hour. The council also removed the automatic first‑10‑pages‑free rule and instead set a paper/copy charge of $0.25 per page beginning with the first page. The council voted unanimously to adopt the modified form and schedule.

City Attorney explained the statutory context and changes to practice: “Effective November 1, the legislature made significant changes to the open records laws,” and added that the city can require upfront payment for requests calculated to cost more than $75 to avoid spending staff time on unpaid requests.

Council members said the aim is to make fees understandable and to deter overly broad “fishing expedition” requests that consume staff resources. The motion also clarified that if a requester owes money from a prior request or if the calculated cost is $75 or more, the city may require payment before beginning work; the city must refund any unused portion if the actual cost is lower.

Next steps: Staff will post the updated form and fee schedule and apply the new fee structure to incoming requests.