Commissioners direct county attorney to draft open-records request fee schedule

Commissioners discussed creating a county code and fee schedule for open-records requests, saying the schedule would follow the attorney general'9s recommended fees while also identifying where any collected fees should be recorded. Staff noted the county'9s current practice is to forward requests to the appropriate office when records are held elsewhere and that some departments lack systems to accept or process payment.

During the exchange a commissioner proposed authorizing the county attorney to draft a records-request code, establish waiver guidelines, and determine whether fees should be allocated to the department providing records or to the general fund. The commissioner said he was open to public comment and suggested some items could be tabled for further clarification.

A motion to authorize the county attorney to develop the records code and fee schedule (including waiver guidance and allocation of fees) was made from the dais; the transcript records the motion being moved and seconded and discussion about tabling parts of the agenda to allow public comment. The transcript does not include a detailed voting record or the final adopted text of a fee schedule; commissioners asked staff for further clarification about departmental accounting and implementation steps.