Jefferson Township, Montgomery County Ohio (JT) grants Jefferson Township citizens the right to access open public records that exist at the time of the request. Jefferson Township does not require records custodians to compile information or create or recreate records that do not exist.
Public Records Policies
Purpose
Openness leads to a better informed citizenry, which leads to better government
and better public policy. It is always
the mission and intent of Jefferson Township to fully comply with and abide by
both the spirit and the letter of Ohio’s Public Records Act.
Defining Public Records
A
“record” is defined to include the following: A document in any format – paper,
electronic (including, but not limited to, business e-mail) – that is created,
received by, or comes under the jurisdiction of Jefferson Township that
documents the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures,
operations, or other activities of the office.
A “public record” is a “record” that is kept by this office at the time
a public records request is made, subject to applicable exemptions from
disclosure under Ohio or federal law.
All public records must be organized and maintained in such a way that
they can be made available for inspection and copying.
A
“public record” is a “record” that is kept by this office at the time a public
records request is made, subject to applicable exemptions from disclosure under
Ohio or federal law. All public records
must be organized and maintained in such a way that they can be made available
for inspection and copying.
Handling Requests
No
specific language is required to make a request for public records. However, the requester must at least identify
the records requested with sufficient clarity to allow the office to identify,
retrieve, and review the records.
The
requester does not have to put a record request in writing and does not have to
provide his or her identity or the intended use of the requested public
record(s). It is this office’s general
policy that this information is not to be requested. However, the law does permit the office to
ask for a written request, the requester’s identity, and/or the intended use of
the information requested, but only if (1) a written request or disclosure of the
identity or intended use would benefit the requester by enhancing the office’s
ability to identify, locate, or deliver the public records that have been
requested; and (2) the requester is first told that a written request is not
required and that the requester may decline to reveal the requester’s identity
or intended use.
In
processing the request, the office does not have an obligation to create new
records or perform a search or research for information in the office’s
records. An electronic record is deemed
to exist so long as a computer is already programmed to produce the record
through the office’s standard use of sorting, filtering, or querying
features. Although not required by law,
the office should consider generating new records when it makes sense and is
practical under the circumstances.
In
processing a request for inspection of a public record, an office employee may
accompany the requester during inspection to make certain original records are
not taken or altered.
A copy
of the most recent edition of the Ohio Sunshine Laws Manual is available via
the Ohio Attorney General’s website (www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/YellowBook)
for the purpose of keeping employees of the office and the public educated as
to the office’s obligations under Ohio’s Public Records Act, Ohio’s Open
Meetings Act, records retention laws, and the Personal Information Systems Act.
Electronic Records
Records
in the form of e-mail, text messaging, and instant messaging, including those
sent and received via a hand-held communications device, are to be treated in
the same fashion as records in other formats, such as paper or audiotape.
Public
record content transmitted to or from private accounts or personal devices is
subject to disclosure. All employees or
representatives of this office are required to retain their e-mail records and
other electronic records in accordance with applicable records retention
schedules.
Denial and Redaction of Records
If the
requester makes an ambiguous or overly broad request or has difficulty in
making a request such that the office cannot reasonably identify what public
records are being requested, the request may be denied, but the office must
then provide the requester an opportunity to revise the request by informing
the requester of the manner in which records are maintained and accessed by the
office.
If the
office withholds, redacts, or otherwise denies requested records, it must
provide an explanation, including legal authority, for the denial(s). If the initial request was made in writing,
the explanation must also be in writing.
If portions of a record are public and portions are exempt, the exempt
portions may be redacted, and the rest must be released. When making public records available for
public inspection or copying, the office shall notify the requester of any
redaction or make the redaction plainly visible.
Copying and Mailing Costs
Those
seeking public records may be charged only the actual cost of making copies,
not labor. The charge for paper copies
is .25 cents per page. The charge for
electronic files downloaded to a compact disc is $5.00 per disc. The charge for
Fire or EMS reports is $5.00.
A
requester may be required to pay in advance for the actual costs involved in
providing the copy. The requester may
choose whether to have the record duplicated upon paper, upon the same medium
on which the public record is kept, or upon any other medium on which the
office determines that the record can reasonably be duplicated as an integral
part of the office’s normal operations.
If a
requester asks that documents be delivered to them, he or she may be charged
the actual cost of the postage and mailing supplies or other actual costs of
delivery. There is no charge for
e-mailed documents.
Managing Records
Jefferson
Township’s records are subject to records retention schedules. The office’s current schedules are available
at 580 Calumet Lane Dayton Ohio 45417, a location readily available to the
public as required by Ohio Revised Code § 149.43(B)(2).