Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Records topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Union SD 5 adopts public‑records fee schedule to cover labor-intensive requests
Summary
Board reviewed and adopted a new public records procedure that applies fees when requests exceed 30 minutes, using rates tied to statewide guidance: clerical $40/hr, administrator $90/hr, attorney $300/hr, and printing 25¢/page.
The Union SD 5 School Board updated its public records procedure July 16 to include a fee schedule for requests that require more than 30 minutes of staff time, citing statewide guidance from the attorney general’s office and OSBA review.
Chair read the new schedule into the record: "Clerical time is 40 dollars per hour. Administrator time is $90 per hour. Attorney time is $300 per hour, and printing is 25¢ per page." The board discussed the practicalities of notifying requesters when estimated costs exceed $25, and agreed that district staff will provide cost estimates before fulfilling requests that are likely to be expensive or time consuming.
Context and implications: The district said it has received one particularly lengthy request recently and that the fee schedule is intended to ensure staff time and outside attorney review are covered when necessary. Mindy estimated she spent about 19 hours on a recent request and said some routine reports cost as little as 30 minutes of staff time.
Next steps: The policy will be implemented via the new KBA and KBA‑AR forms; staff will notify requesters of cost estimates as required by the attorney general’s guidance.
