2.10.060 Costs of providing copies of public records.
A. Standard Costs. Calculating the actual costs to provide public records would be unduly burdensome given the city’s limited staff and resources. Therefore, the city has adopted the standard charges for copying public records outlined in RCW 42.56.120, which are as follows:
1. Fifteen cents for standard (eight and one-half inches by eleven inches and eight and one-half inches by fourteen inches) black-and-white photocopies.
2. Ten cents per page for public records scanned into an electronic format.
3. Five cents per each four electronic files or attachments uploaded to email, cloud-based data storage service, or other means of electronic delivery.
4. Ten cents per gigabyte for the transmission of public records in electronic format or for the use of city equipment to send the records electronically.
5. The actual cost of any digital storage media or device provided by the city.
B. Inspection. There is no fee for inspecting public records.
C. Flat Fee. The city may charge a flat fee of up to two dollars for any request, as an alternative to the standard fees, when the public records officer reasonably estimates and documents that the costs allowed are clearly two dollars or more. An additional flat fee will not be charged for any installment after the first installment of a request produced in installments.
D. Customized Service Charge. The public records officer may impose a customized service charge when the public records officer estimates that the request would require the use of information technology expertise to prepare data compilations, or provide customized electronic access services when such compilations and customized access services are not used by the city for other city purposes. The amount of the charge may not exceed the actual cost of providing the service. The customized service charge shall not be assessed unless the public records officer has first notified the requestor of the customized service charge, including an explanation of why it applies, a description of the expertise, and a reasonable estimated cost of the charge. The requestor shall have the opportunity to amend his or her request to avoid or reduce the cost of the customized service charge.
E. Off-Site Vendor Copying. The public records officer may send a request for copying of public records in nonstandard formats, including but not limited to photographs, blueprints or tape recordings, to an off-site vendor. If the public records officer determines it is reasonable to send a request to an off-site vendor for copying, the public records officer may: (1) arrange for the requestor to pay the vendor directly for copies made; or (2) charge the requestor the actual amount charged by the off-site vendor to the city for the copies made.
F. Deposit. Before beginning to make the copies, the public records officer may require a deposit of up to ten percent of the estimated cost of copying all the public records selected by the requestor, including the customized service charge, if applicable. The public records officer may also require the payment of the remainder of the copying costs before providing all the public records, or the payment of the costs of copying an installment before providing that installment. The public records officer shall not charge sales tax when making copies of public records, unless required by law to do so.
G. Facsimile/Mail. The city shall charge actual costs of long distance facsimile transmission and/or mailing, including postage and the cost of the shipping container.
H. Certified Copies. The public records officer may charge for a certified copy of public records, in the amount of five dollars, to cover the additional expense and time required for certification.
I. Summary of Charges. If requested by the requestor, the public records officer shall provide a summary of applicable charges before making copies. After receiving the summary, the requestor may revise the request to reduce the number of copies to be made and reduce the applicable charges.
J. Payment Methods. The requestor shall pay for copies of public records by cash, check, or money order payable to the city.
K. Waiver of Charges. The public records officer, in consultation with the city administrator or city clerk/treasurer, may waive applicable charges for requests by state or local agencies, or officers or employees thereof, to copy city public records, where the city’s response to the request will not be unduly burdensome on city staff and resources. (Ord. 1156-18 § 1).