Wheatland council adopts updated records-request fees, adds per-gigabyte and body-camera charges

The Wheatland City Council adopted Resolution O2-2026, updating the town's records-request fee schedule to include per-gigabyte charges for electronic records and a dedicated line item for body-camera footage.

Tabitha, the town's clerk treasurer, told the council: "The only thing we really changed on this was, the electronic records. We did per gigabyte storage." She said the change responds to growing requests for large files and body-cam footage that require storage and redaction. Council discussion focused on work time, redaction costs and how to set hourly rates; the county attorney noted that the staff-time calculation should reflect actual cost and suggested reviewing the schedule at budget time.

Council members recommended keeping the policy under review; one member said 10 days for response is tight for complex requests and suggested monitoring demand. The ordinance sets internal hourly charges designed to recoup staff time and storage costs (discussion referenced a $15 per half-hour baseline and $30-per-hour equivalent when calculated). After discussion the council moved, seconded and adopted Resolution O2-2026 by voice vote.

The adopted schedule adds explicit charges for electronic media and body-camera footage and instructs staff to track demand and revisit the fees if workload proves higher than projected. The council did not record a roll-call vote; the motion carried by voice vote.