(a) Any person may ask to inspect and/or receive copies of public records.
(b) "Any person" includes individuals or corporations and is not limited to City residents.
(c) The Law Department should be contacted regarding all non-routine records requests so that a determination can be made as to whether the records requested are public records and/or must be redacted before disclosure.
(d) Use of the designated Public Records Request Form, as set forth in Exhibit A, is mandatory. The requestor shall be asked to complete the form with his or her name and contact information and sign and date it. If he or she refuses, then the City employee shall complete the form to the best of their ability and sign and date it.
(e) The request should specifically and particularly describe the record being sought. A request for information, as opposed to a particular record, may not be a legally adequate request. Although Ohio law does not require a written request, to avoid misunderstandings as to the records requested, it is preferable to have the request in writing.
(f) The requestor is not required to give a reason for the request. However, it is permissible to ask the reason for the request if, for example, understanding the use for which the information is sought will assist the City in determining the records best suited for that purpose.
(g) The City is under no legal duty to create a new record or perform a new analysis of existing records in response to a public records request. However, if the City's computers are currently programmed to create the requested output, the City should provide the record as requested.
(h) The requestor has a right to inspect or receive the record, upon the same medium upon which the City keeps it (e.g., paper format), or upon any other medium that the City determines it can reasonably be duplicated as part of normal operations (e.g., electronic format).
(i) To insure the integrity of the City’s records, a City employee should accompany the requestor during any inspection to make certain original records are not taken or altered.
(Res. 203-04. Passed 8-16-04; Ord. 109-22. Passed 9-6-22.)