Select Board adopts public-records fee schedule to apply after first half hour

The Brandon Select Board voted to adopt a fee schedule for public records requests that applies fees after the first 30 minutes of staff time, following guidance from the Vermont Secretary of State.

Town Manager Seth Hopkins told the board a recent broad request required multiple staff to spend full days compiling records and that the state's published schedules provide defensible, equitable guidelines. Hopkins summarized the recommended figures cited from the Secretary of State: $0.33 per minute for physical duplication (about $19.80 per hour), $0.57 per minute for senior/IT-level staff (about $34.20/hour) and $0.45 per minute for other staff after the first 30 minutes (about $27/hour).

Hopkins said one internal staff calculation estimated the recent request would have cost about $400 at those rates, while municipal payroll accounting showed more than $650 of staff time actually invested. He recommended posting a public-records notice on the town website and linking to the Secretary of State's schedule so updates are reflected automatically.

Board members agreed that discretion and case-by-case exceptions are appropriate; Hopkins said appeals of fee decisions could come to the select board. The motion to adopt the fee schedule following the first half hour carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Hopkins said the town will continue to fulfill public records obligations and will use the fee schedule primarily for broad or resource-intensive requests.