(a) All requests for public records shall be governed by the Ohio R.C. 149.43.
(b) All public records shall be promptly prepared and made available for inspection to any person at all reasonable times during regular business hours. The public record(s) requested shall be provided within a reasonable period of time. In order to facilitate broader access to public records, public offices shall maintain public records in a manner that they can be made available for inspection in accordance with this division.
(Ord. 62-2018. Passed 6-11-18.)
(c) The public request will be made to the designated public office, or person responsible, for the public records in order to expedite to the appropriate City Department.
(d) The Mayor designated public office, or person responsible, will record the request on the appropriate form. The form will be kept on file in the designated public office. The requester's name will not be recorded unless it is pertinent to the delivery of the records, i.e., mail, email, in-person or other delivery means requiring identification and/or contact information. However, if a City department believes that either 1) a written request, 2)knowing the intended use of the information, or 3) knowing the requester's identity would benefit the requester by enhancing the ability of the City department to identify, locate, or deliver the requested records, the City department may request the designated public office or person responsible to inform the requester that giving this information is not mandatory, and then ask if the requester is willing to provide that information to assist the City department, designated public office, or person responsible, in fulfilling the request.
(e) The designated public office or person responsible shall confer with the Law Director regarding all non-routine record requests to determine whether the records requested are public records and/or must be redacted before disclosure.
(f) If any person chooses to obtain a copy of public records, the designated public office or person responsible for the public records shall permit that person to choose to have the public record duplicated upon paper, upon the same medium upon which the City department responsible for the public record keeps it, or upon any other medium upon which the City department responsible for the public record determines that it reasonably can be duplicated as an integral part of the normal operations of the City department responsible for the public record. When the requestor seeking the copy makes a choice under this division, the City department, designated public office or person responsible for the requested public records shall provide a copy of it in accordance with the choice made by the requestor seeking the copy. If there is a question as to the record in question should be made public, the inquiry should be directed to the law Director immediately in order that a reply to the record in question can be made in a timely manner.
(g) Upon a request made for a public record, the designated public office or person responsible for public records shall transmit a copy of a the public record to the requestor by United States mail within a reasonable period of time after receiving the request for the copy. The designated public office or person responsible for the public record request may require the person making the request to pay in advance the cost of postage and other supplies used in the mailing. (Ord. 49-2023. Passed 7-25-23.)
(h) As used in this section, “actual cost” means the cost of depleted supplies, record storage media costs, actual mailing and alternative delivery costs, or other transmitting costs, and any direct equipment operating and maintenance cost, including cost paid to private contractors for copying services.
(Ord. 62-2018. Passed 6-11-18.)