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Muskego finance committee declines refund request for election-records fees
Summary
The Muskego City Finance Committee reviewed an open-records request for election test tapes and ballot copies that required roughly 5½ hours of staff time. Committee members decided not to refund the roughly $125 in fees, citing time spent and legal charging limits.
The Muskego City Finance Committee on Oct. 22 considered a request to refund fees paid for an open-records request that sought election-results tapes and copies of test ballots. Staff said fulfilling the request took about "5 and a half hours" of work and that the requester had paid about $125.
"We charged everything that we could, and we did the lowest that we could," said Speaker 2, who explained the charges followed the limits set under state open-records law and reflected the lowest qualified rate available. Staff described how they produced the requested material — including a slow, phone-recorded video of lengthy results tapes and copied ballots — and said that approach had been previewed for the requester before delivery.
Members questioned whether a refund was appropriate. "I see no absolutely no reason that we should refund anything to them," said Alderman Kabaki, noting the committee had provided an estimate and staff charged under-market rates. Other members warned that refunding could set a precedent and lead to repeated refund requests.
After discussion, the committee chose to leave the matter "where it is" and not to issue a refund. No formal roll-call vote with named tallies was recorded in the transcript.
The committee also discussed ways to make records requests clearer and easier to fulfill, with members suggesting clearer guidance or a standard price list for common requests so requesters know what to expect.
