The opening statement in the GRAMA section on fees states that:
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The law recognizes that records requests can be time consuming and take employees away from their regular responsibilities. It therefore provides for government to recoup the actual cost of providing records in response to GRAMA requests.
How is actual cost determined?
The law specifically identifies things for which fees can be assessed when a governmental entity compiles a record in a form other than it normally maintains:
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Since these charges are basically for labor to complete records related tasks, the law identifies how much can be charged per hour for work done:
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Even though a person with a higher salary may have completed the work, a governmental entity can still charge only at the hourly rate of the lowest paid employee who would be capable of doing the work. The law does not say whether the fee should be based on net or gross salary. Actual cost can also include copy costs or the cost of any materials used to fill the request.
The law specifically identifies some things that cannot be considered when calculating actual cost and for which the governmental entity cannot charge. Fees cannot be charged for allowing someone to view a public record. Fees cannot be charged for reviewing records to determine whether or not they are subject to disclosure.
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When should fees be waived?
The law invites governmental entities to waive fees for GRAMA requests in certain circumstances:
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The language in this statute is permissive and not mandatory. Determining to waive fees is an expression of public good will. When a fee waiver is requested for the reason that releasing the record primarily benefits the public rather than an individual, a governmental entity should consider how the public will be benefited. Presumably, requests from journalists or the media are in the public interest.
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When a governmental entity decides not to waive fees, offering to provide records at a reduced cost may also be an option.
Does GRAMA provide additional guidelines on fees?
GRAMA includes a few provisions designed to protect governmental entities from abuse:
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A governmental entity may require prepayment of fees for a large request; however it is good practice to at least notify the requester of the anticipated cost. Requesters may have no idea how much time it will take to fill a records request and, hence, no idea how much it will cost. Notification of anticipated cost before beginning compilation will allow the requester to confirm intent to pay or to modify or cancel a request if the cost is greater than anticipated. It will help prevent work being done to fill a GRAMA request that is not then purchased.
GRAMA has no provisions to protect the requester from unexpected fees, however, it does provide certain additional rights in respect to obtaining access to records.
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Who authorizes fees?
Once more the opening statement in the fees section of GRAMA states:
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It is important that fees for GRAMA requests are consistently defined so that costs will be predictable for both requesters and responders. In fact, all governmental entities are required to adopt fee schedules and to have them approved by a legislative or governing body:
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What recourse is available when fees are in dispute?
In spite of the best intentions on everyone’s part, misunderstandings or misaligned expectations can arise over fee issues. GRAMA has provided recourse for the resolution of disputes over fees:
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In twenty years the State Records Committee has heard thirteen appeals involving fee issues. Although the committee has on occasion ordered that records be provided without charge, its decisions generally have supported that granting fee waivers in the suggested instances is permissive but not mandatory. Even though there is no statutory requirement to provide the requester with prior notice of an amount, the committee has ruled on both sides of the dilemma of unexpected charges. The committee has also ruled on both sides of the issue of charging for time spent on segregation. In one instance the committee upheld a governmental entity’s right to charge for time spent in this way. In another instance, the committee determined that segregation is part of determining whether a record is subject to disclosure and is therefore something for which a governmental entity may not charge a fee. (See summary of fee waiver hearings)
The state government records ombudsman is another resource to help with disputes over fees. Although the ombudsman does not have authority to make determinations, she can offer suggestions for resolution and facilitate conversation. The ombudsman can help with mediation which is designed to find a compromise solution which is agreeable to everyone.
Governmental entities can help prevent conflicts over fees by reviewing and updating adopted fee schedules to make sure they are equitable and current. Routinely notifying requesters of the anticipated cost before beginning to compile records in response to a request will enable the governmental entity and the requester to come to agreement about fees before time is unnecessarily spent on responding to requests.