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County gets guidance on handling large public-records request; cost estimate could be thousands
Summary
A caller identified as Chris Gallo advised Prairie County officials that a voluminous public-records request may require charging the requester for staff time and copying; county staff estimated a multi-thousand-dollar fulfillment cost for records spanning five years and recommended legal review for redactions.
The board received a phone briefing about an extensive public-records request from an outside party seeking multi-year phone records, texts and email correspondence related to multiple projects. Caller Chris Gallo (speaker 7) outlined typical practice: estimate staff time and copying costs, send the requester a written estimate, and have the county attorney review records for necessary redactions before production. "We determine if, like, how expensive it is, what the cost of the agency is going to be," Gallo said, describing the calculation and letter-back process.
Commissioners discussed likely cost and staffing burdens. Staff estimated a large five-year search could cost in the range of $5,000 to $10,000 to fulfill after staff time and redaction; the board instructed the clerk and county attorney to evaluate the request and return with an initial written cost estimate for the requester.
