(A) Policy. The Town Council has determined that a formal policy regarding the submission and processing of requests for access to public records should be adopted to provide the public and the town’s employees with clear requirements and practices that will permit the town to operate in an open and public manner.
(B) Procedure.
(1) The town will provide an effective and timely response to requests for public records under MCA § 2-6-101. The town will make every effort to provide assistance and prompt, accurate and courteous service in a timely manner. Please note that some requests may take longer to accomplish depending on file storage location and staff availability. Most record requests are at very little cost and fulfilled timely. However, in some instances a fee may be associated (broken into half-hour increments) for the time involved researching, any print copies or electronic data of the request, pursuant to MCA § 2-6-1006. This may include requests requiring significant time researching across numerous departments, old and archived records, voluminous records, and the like.
(2) All records requests are to be directed to the Town Clerk, who will provide the town’s response. This request form may be obtained from town hall or by email request. Once received, it will be routed to the proper department for processing. The department will provide the Clerk with the requested information, and the amount of time involved researching the request. The Clerk will be responsible for communicating the status of the request, and any amount due for copies and/or research time, to the requestor. You can e-mail completed request forms to townofcircle@midrivers.com. Upon receipt of any monies due, the requested information/documentation will be provided to the requestor. Requests for information that is protected or prohibited from public release by law may be denied and the requestor contacted and informed of this. Public documents containing exempt information may be released after redaction. Requests pertaining to matters implicating privacy interest will be reviewed by the Town Council before any release of information.
(3) Please complete the request for public records form. A title or reasonable description of the requested information is required for all information not readily available or dependent upon staff availability if the request cannot be fulfilled immediately.
(C) Fees.
Copies
|
Fees
|
Up to 15 pages (printed, copies, electronic) | No charge |
Over 15 pages (printed, copies, electronic) | $0.15 per page |
11 x 17 inch copy | $0.25 per page |
Cost to mail information | $1.00 plus required postage |
Electronic data | $0.03 for every page over 15 pages |
Staff time
|
Fees
|
First 15 minutes | No charge |
Between 15-30 minutes | $10 |
Each additional 30 minutes | $10 |
(Res. 08-12-19-09, passed 8-12-2019)