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Resident challenges city on public‑records fees; council asks staff to explain calculation
Summary
A Coeur d'Alene resident said he was billed $518 for a public‑records request and questioned how hourly rates were set. A speaker citing Idaho’s public‑records law urged transparency; city staff agreed to provide a written explanation of the formula used to compute charges.
A Coeur d'Alene resident raised concerns at the June 2 council meeting about the city’s public‑records billing, and council directed staff to provide a written explanation of how charges were calculated.
"I got a bill for, $518," resident Max told the council, saying the invoice billed $110 an hour while public documents he reviewed listed lower pay rates for identified staff. "Is every single member of the public being overcharged?" he asked.
Another speaker who the mayor introduced as Safa cited Idaho law on public records (Idaho Code Title 74). "Fees for requests made by a resident shall not exceed reasonable labor costs necessary incurred in responding to a public records request," she said, reading language from the statute and noting the law calls for fees to reflect the personal quantity of time reasonably necessary to process a request and to be charged at the lowest appropriate administrative rate when applicable.
City staff responded that Idaho law allows two free hours of labor and that, beyond that, the city uses a fully loaded wage rate (wages plus benefits) provided by finance to calculate chargebacks. Renata (city staff) said she would review the specific invoice and promised to provide a written breakdown to the requester and counsel. "I'll have to look at this one specifically on those numbers," she said.
City attorney Randy Adams clarified that the statute refers to the lowest qualified and necessary person, not necessarily the lowest paid employee, when legal expertise is required. Councilmember Christy asked staff to produce a written explanation for distribution to the requester and to council.
The council made no immediate policy change at the meeting but asked staff to return with documented justification for the fees charged on the contested request.
What the council asked for next: staff to provide the invoice breakdown and the city’s formula for calculating public‑records labor fees for the council and for Max.
