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Sheriff proposes $0.51-per-minute redaction fee for body-worn cameras; public hearing scheduled
Summary
The sheriff's office presented a cost study proposing a $0.51 per minute redaction fee for body-worn-camera public-records requests; commissioners scheduled a public hearing on the updated fee schedule for May 4 at 9:30 a.m.
The Columbia County sheriff's office presented a statutorily required cost study that recommends charging $0.51 per minute of redaction time for audio and video from body-worn cameras, county officials said.
The sheriff explained that the redaction fee is calculated from actual staff time spent on review, application of redaction tools and quality checks, and applies only to the minutes that must be redacted, not to the entire length of a recording. "If there's a minute's worth of audio or a minute's worth of photograph, video, it takes about 5 minutes for that to be redacted," the sheriff said, describing the workflow behind the per-minute figure.
County policy requires the board to hold a public hearing on fee schedule changes. Commissioners set that hearing for May 4 at 9:30 a.m. for the sheriff's department fee schedule, which includes the body-worn camera redaction fee and other reproduction charges.
The sheriff said the fee schedule will be part of an updated overall fees document that includes a proposed advanced fee for sales and other updated line items; the board directed staff to publish the hearing notice and bring the schedule back for public comment.
No final fee was adopted at the meeting; the hearing will give the public an opportunity to comment before the board considers formal adoption.
