Todd County updates data-practices policy and approves prepayment for complex public data requests

The board voted to adopt an updated Todd County data practices policy that follows the Department of Administration model and Minnesota statute chapter 13; county attorney Lindeman reviewed the changes and staff said the policy committee recommended adoption. "Approval is recommended to ensure compliance with current statutory requirements and best practices for public access to government data," the county coordinator said.

Separately, staff proposed updating the county public data-request webpage to require prepayment of estimated staff time and copying costs for complex or commercial requests. Staff noted multiple lengthy requests that appear AI-generated and said some requests require substantial staff time across departments. Commissioners approved the website update, with staff to return with implementation details for payment processing (point-and-pay module or other approved payment methods) and a cost estimate for any new payment module.