Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Records topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board denies FOIA fee appeal from Lansing State Journal reporter
Summary
The board voted to deny an appeal of a FOIA fee challenge from Sarah Atwood of the Lansing State Journal, concluding the district's fee calculation and 50% deposit requirement for large requests were appropriate.
The board reviewed a fee-appeal request from Sarah Atwood of the Lansing State Journal challenging a $608 fee and the district's deposit requirement for large FOIA requests. The district's draft response recommended denying the appeal, stating the fee calculations followed the district's policy and were based on the hourly rates plus benefits of the two lowest-paid employees in the two departments necessary to fulfill the four-year request (HR and IT).
Trustee Nowinski moved to deny the appeal and to send the drafted denial letter; the motion was seconded by Vice President Moore and passed by voice vote, recorded as 8–0. The board clarified on the record that the underlying FOIA request itself was not denied (documents were not withheld wholesale); the appeal was limited to contesting the fees and deposit requirement.
Trustee Nowinski said he reviewed the fee documentation and agreed the charges were appropriately applied. The board directed staff to send the denial letter as drafted and to ensure the public-records process and fee calculations were properly documented in the district's response.
