Public Records Request

1. The PLF charges for staff time for all public records requests that require more than 15 minutes of staff time to prepare a response, regardless of whether records are provided in paper or electronic form.
2. Charges for staff time are based on the PLF’s actual cost for the employees’ time. Charges for staff time include time spent locating, compiling, sorting, segregating, redacting, and reviewing records to prepare them for inspection; obtaining legal advice about the request; and supervising the inspection of records. The rates for staff most likely to respond to records requests are approximately as follows, and may change from time to time:
   • Public Records Coordinator: $22/hour
   • IT Technical Support: $30/hour 
   • CEO or General Counsel: $50/hour

Copying Paper Records

1. As a courtesy, the PLF provides up to 10 pages of copies at no charge. The PLF reserves the right to charge for all of its copy expenses if it receives frequent or repeated requests from the same source.
2. The PLF charges 25¢ per page (after the first ten 10 pages of records) to reimburse for its copying costs. This charge includes the staff time required to make copies but does not include staff time spent locating, compiling, sorting, segregating, redacting, or reviewing records. (See Staff Time above.)
3. A page means the number of paper records copied onto a piece of 8-1/2" x 11" paper. Except when staff considers it more efficient, documents will not be reduced in size or otherwise altered to fit additional records on a page. A double-sided copy is two pages.
4. The PLF charges for any additional actual costs for copies made on paper larger than 8-1/2" x 11", with costs calculated on a case-by-case basis.  

Copying Electronic Records

1. The PLF charges $15 for each DVD/CD or $25 for a USB flash drive used to produce electronic records. This cost includes the staff time required to copy electronic records to the disk or drive but does not include staff time spent locating, compiling, sorting, segregating, redacting, or reviewing electronic records. (See Staff Time above.) Due to the threat of computer viruses and other malware, requesters may not provide their own disks or flash drives, and devices provided by the PLF cannot be used for future requests.
2. The PLF can email responsive records that are less than 5MB and readily available in electronic format. The PLF does not charge for staff time spend sending responsive emails, but it does charge for staff time spent locating, compiling, sorting, segregating, redacting, or reviewing emailed electronic records. (See Staff Time above.) Due to system constraints, the PLF will not email records larger than 5MB. The PLF also does not divide responsive electronic records into smaller sections to accommodate email constraints.