(A) Residents of the City of Ravenna shall have the right to public records.
(B) Public records shall include all records and documents, regardless of physical form, belonging to the city. Data which is a public record in its original form shall remain a public record when maintained in computer files.
(C) The City Clerk is the custodian of the public records of a city. Requests should be made to the City Clerk for copies of any public records of the city. The requester must utilize a written request form adopted by the City Clerk and approved by the City Administrator and City Attorney.
(D) A reasonable fee can be charged for providing this information, however, citizens have the right to:
(1) Examine the public records and make memoranda or copies using their own photocopying equipment;
(2) Make abstracts, free of charge, during the hours that the City Clerk's office shall be open for the ordinary transaction of business;
(3) Obtain copies of the information if the City Clerk has copying equipment reasonably available to produce the data requested. Such data may include, but not be limited to, printouts, electronic data, discs, tapes and photocopies.
(E) Fees charged by the City Clerk for providing copies shall not exceed the actual cost of making the copies available as provided in Neb. RS 84-712. The City Clerk shall not be required to generate any public record in a new or different form or format other than the original public record. The City Clerk, if the copying costs are estimated at more than $50, may require the requester to furnish a deposit.
(F) Within four business days after actual receipt of the request, the City Clerk may either provide:
(1) Access to, if copying equipment is reasonably available, copies of the public record;
(2) If there is a legal basis for denial of access to the copies, a written denial that the request together with the information provided in Neb. RS 84-712.04; or
(3) If the entire request cannot be made with reasonable good faith efforts within the four business days, a written explanation must be given to the requester, including the earliest practicable date for fulfilling the request, an estimate of the expected costs of the copies and an opportunity for the requester to modify or prioritize the items within the request.
(G) Records may be withheld from the public. Records that may be withheld are specified in Neb. RS 84-712.05. This includes personal information, medical records, trade secrets, work product of an attorney, records of law enforcement agencies, appraisals, personal personnel information, security information, library records which would reveal the identity of any patron, job application materials by applicants other than finalists, social security numbers, credit card charge cards, and all other items as spelled forth in the statute including any additions provided by amendment to this statute.
(Ord. 2007-O-024, passed 8-6-07)