Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Records topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews updated open-records retention policy and fee schedule
Summary
Council reviewed changes to the city's open-records form, retention citations and fee policy to align with state changes; officials said residents generally will not be charged for reference requests but payment in advance may be required if estimated costs exceed $75 or prior fees are outstanding.
City staff presented an update to the municipality's open-records and records-retention procedures during the Sept. 8 meeting.
Speaker 4 said the city updated its request form to reflect recent state legislative changes and that every record will include a description, the department, retention time and a retention citation when applicable. Staff said many records are available online.
On fees, Speaker 4 said the city will not charge residents for basic reference requests but will require payment in advance when the estimated cost exceeds $75 or when prior outstanding fees exist. The update also establishes a 15-calendar-day window to respond to clarification requests; if staff cannot complete a request within 30 calendar days of receipt, they will issue written notice that the request cannot be completed within that time frame.
Speaker 6 and others asked clarifying questions about third-party storage and whether the policy would eliminate certain storage costs; Speaker 4 said the policy is intended to align with state law and to clarify when fees and advance payment apply.
No formal policy adoption or vote occurred at the meeting; staff indicated the revisions were being presented to inform council and to prepare for an eventual adoption step.
