PUBLIC RECO RDS POLICY FOR

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1 PUBLIC RECO RDS POLICY FOR B L O U N T C O U N T Y G O V E R N M E N T Pursuant t o T enn. Code Ann (g ), t he f ollo wing Public Recor ds Polic y f or Blount County Government is her eby adopt ed by B l o u n t C o u n t y B o a r d o f C o m m i s s i o n e r s t o pr ovide econom ical and ef f icient access t o public r ecords as pr ovided under the T ennessee Public Recor ds Act ( T PRA ) in T enn. Code Ann , et seq. T he T PRA provides t hat a ll st ate, county and m unicipal r ecor ds shall, at all t im es dur ing business hours, which f or public hospit als shall be dur ing t he business hours of t heir adm inist r at ive of f ices, be open f or personal inspect ion by any cit izen of t his st at e, and t hose in charg e of t he r ecor ds shall not r ef use such r ig ht of inspect ion t o any cit izen, unless ot her wise provided by st ate law. See Tenn. Code Ann (a) ( 2) ( A). Accor ding ly, t he public r ecor ds of Blount County Government ar e presum ed t o be open f or insp ect ion unless ot her wise provided by la w. Personnel of B l o u n t C o u n t y G o v e r n m e n t shall t im ely and ef f icient ly provide access and assist ance t o per sons r eq uest ing t o vie w or r eceive copies of public recor ds. No pr ovisions of t his Policy shall be used t o hinder access t o open public r ecor ds. However, t he integrity and org anization of public recor ds, as well as t he ef f icient and saf e operat ion of Blount County Government, shall be prot ected as provided by curr ent law. Concerns about t his Policy should be addr essed t o the Public Recor ds Req uest Coor dinat or f or Blount County Government or t o t he T ennessee Of f ice of O pen Records Counsel ( O O RC ). T his Policy is a vailab le f or inspection and duplication in t he of f ice of the Blount County Clerk s Office T his Polic y is post ed online at and Blount County Government s main office location. T his Policy shall be r evie wed annuall y. T his Policy shall be applied consist ent ly t hroughout t he various of f ices, departm ent s, and/or divisions of B l o u n t C o u n t y G o v e r n m e n t except t he f ollowing of f ices, depar tm ent s, or divisions of B l o u n t C o u n t y G o v e r n m e n t, which have separate public r ecord s policies: I. Defi nit i ons: a. Blount County Sheriff s Office b. Industrial Development Board c. Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority A. Recor ds Cust odian: T he of f ice, of f icial or em ploye e lawf ully r esponsible f or t he dir ect custody and care of a public r ecor d. See T enn. Code Ann (a) (1)( C). The r ecor ds cust odian is not necessar ily t he or ig inal pr eparer or receiver of t he r ecor d. B. Public Recor ds: All document s, paper s, lett ers, maps, books, photographs, m icr of ilm s, electr onic dat a pr ocessing f iles and output, f ilm s, sound r ecor ding s, or other m ater ial, r eg ardless of physical f or m or char act eristics, made or r eceived pur suant t o l aw or 1

2 ordinance or in connect ion wit h t he t r ansaction of of f icial business by any g overnm ent al ag ency. See T enn. Code Ann (a)( 1) ( A). C. Public Recor ds Request Coor dinat or: T he indivi dual, or individuals, desig nat ed in Section II I, A. 3 of t his Policy who has, or have, t he r esponsibilit y t o ensure public r ecor d r eq uest s ar e r outed t o t he appropr iate r ecords cust odian and are f ulf illed in accor dance wit h t he T PRA. See T enn. Code Ann ( a)( 1) ( B). T he Public Recor ds Req uest Coor dinat or m ay also be a r ecor ds cust odian. D. Request or: A person seek ing access t o a public recor d, whet her it is f or inspect ion or duplication. I I. Requesti ng Access t o Publ i c Records A. Public r ecor d r eq uest s shall be m ade t o t he Public Recor ds Req uest Coor dinat or ( PRRC ) or his/ her desig nee in or der t o ensure public r ecor d r eq uest s ar e r out ed t o t he appr opr iat e records custodian and f ulf illed in a t im ely m anner. B. Req uest s f or inspect ion only cannot be r equir ed t o be m ade in wr it ing. T he PRRC should r eq uest a m ailing or em ail address f r om t he r equestor f or providing any wr it t en comm unicat ion req uir ed under t he T PRA. C. Req uest s f or inspection m ay be m ade or ally, in person or in wr it ing using t he att ached Form at t h e B l o u n t C o u n t y R e c o r d s M a n a g e m e n t a n d A r c h i v e s O f f i c e, M c A r t h u r R o a d, M a r y v i l l e, T N or by phone at D. Req uest s f or copies, or r eq uest s f or inspection and copies, shall be m ade o r a l l y i n p e r s o n a n d in wr it ing, by mail, or by , at t h e B l o u n t C o u n t y R e c o r d s M a n a g e m e n t a n d A r c h i v e s O f f i c e, M c A r t h u r R o a d, M a r y v i l l e, T N using the at t ached Form. E. Proof of Tennessee citizenship shall accompany a records request. The records custodian may also require any citizen making a request to view a public record or to make a copy of a public record to present a photo identification, if the person possesses a photo identification issued by a governmental entity that includes the persons address. If a person does not possess a photo identification, the records custodian may require other forms of identification acceptable to the records custodian. F. D e t a i l s i n p o l i c y r e g a r d i n g m e e t i n g d a t e s a n d t i m e s. M e e t i n g p u b l i c n o t i c e s a n d o t h e r m e e t i n g d o c u m e n t s m a y b e f o u n d a t : h t t p : / / w w w. b l o u n t t n. o r g / c o m m i s s i o n / d e f a u l t. a s p. 2

3 I II. Respondi ng t o Publi c Records Requests A. Public Recor d Req uest Coor dinat or 1. T he PRRC shall r eview public r ecor d r eq uests and m ak e an init ial det erm inat ion of t he f ollowing : a. If t he r eq uest or pr ovid ed evidence of T ennessee cit izenship; and b. If the records requested are described with sufficient specificity to identif y t hem; and c. If t he G overnm ent al Ent ity is t he cust odian of t he recor ds. 2. T he PRRC shall ack nowledg e r eceipt of t he req uest and t ake any of t he f ollowing appropr iate action( s): a. Advise t he r eq uest or of this Policy and t he elections m ade r eg ar ding : i. Pr oof of Tennessee cit izenship; ii. For m( s) r eq uir ed f or copies ; iii. Fees ( and labor t hreshold and waivers, if applicable) ; and iv. Agg r eg at ion of m ult iple or f r eq uent r eq uests. b. If appropr iate, d eny t he r eq uest in wr it ing, providing t he appropr iate g round such as one of t he f ollowing : i. T he r eq uest or is not, or has not pr esent ed evidence of being, a T ennessee cit izen ( if proof of cit i zenship is r equired). ii. iii. iv. T he r eq uest lack s specif icit y. (Of f er t o assist in clarif ication) An exempt ion m akes t he r ecord not subj ect t o disclosur e under t he T PRA. ( Pr ovide t he exempt ion in wr it t en denial) T he G overnm ental Entit y is not t he custodian of the r eq uest ed r ecor ds. v. T he r ecor ds do not exist. c. If appr opr iat e, cont act the r eq uest or t o see if t he r eq uest can be nar r owed. d. For ward t he r ecor ds r equest t o t he appr opr iate recor ds cust odian in Blount County Government. e. If r eq uest ed r ecor ds are in t he cust ody of a dif f er ent g overnm ent al ent it y, and t he PRRC k nows t he corr ect g overnm ental ent it y, advise t he r eq uest or of t he cor r ect governm ent al ent it y and PRRC f or t hat ent it y if 3

4 k nown. 3. T he desig nat ed PRRC is: a. J a c k i e G l e n n, B l o u n t C o u n t y R e c o r d s M a n a g e r a n d A r c h i v i s t. b. Cont act inf or m at ion : 1229 McArthur Road, Maryville, TN openrecordsrequest@blounttn.org - em ail address, f ax number i s

5 4. T h e P R R C s h a l l m a k e a Q u a r t e r l y r e p o r t t o t h e B l o u n t C o u n t y L e g i s l a t i v e B o d y p r o v i d i n g t h e r e q u e s t o r s n a m e, t h e i n f o r m a t i o n r e q u e s t e d a n d t h e a p p r o x i m a t e t i m e r e q u i r e d t o a n s w e r t h e r e q u e s t t he G overnm ent al Ent it y s com pliance wit h t he TPRA pur suant t o t his Polic y and shall m ak e r ecommendat ions, if any, f o r im pr ovement or chang es t o t his Polic y. B. Recor ds Cust odian 1. Upon r eceiving a public r ecor ds r eq uest, a r ecords custodian shall promptly m ak e r eq uest ed public recor ds available in accordance wit h T enn. Code Ann If t he r ecor ds custodian is uncert ain that an applicable exemption applies, t he cust odian may consult wit h t he PRRC, counsel, or t he O O RC. 2. If not pr act icable t o pr om ptly provide r eq uest ed r ecor ds because addit ional t im e is necessar y t o det er m ine whet her t he r eq uest ed r ecor ds exist ; t o sear ch f or, r etr ieve, or ot her wise g ain access t o r ecor ds ; t o det erm ine whet her t he r ecor ds ar e open; t o r edact r ecor ds; or f or other sim ilar r easons, t hen a r ecords custodian shall, wit hin seven ( 7) business days f r om t he r ecor ds custodian s r eceipt of t h e r eq uest, send t he r eq uest or a completed Public Recor ds Request Response Form which is att ached as Form, based on t he f orm develo ped by t he OO RC. 3. If a r ecor ds cust odian denies a public r ecor d r eq uest, he or she shall deny t he r eq uest in wr it ing as provided in Section II I. A. 2. b using t he Public Records Req uest Response Form. 4. If a r ecords cust odian r easonably det erm ines pr oduct ion of r ecor ds should be segm ent ed because t he r ecor ds r eq uest is f or a larg e volume of r ecor ds, or addit ional t im e is necessary t o pr epare t he r ecords f or access, t he r ecords custodian shall use t he Public Recor ds Req uest Response Form t o not if y t he r eq uest or t hat product ion of t he r ecor ds will be in segm ents and t hat a r ecords production schedule wil l be provided as expedit iously as pract icable. If appropriat e, t he r ecor ds custodian should cont act t he r eq uest or t o see if the r eq uest can be nar r owed. C. Redaction 5. If a r ecor ds cust odian discovers r ecords r esponsive t o a r ecor ds r eq uest were omitt ed, t he r ecor ds cust odian should cont act t he r equestor concer ning t he omission and pr oduce t he r ecor ds as q uick ly as pr acticable. 1. If a r ecord cont ai ns conf idential inf orm at ion or inf orm at ion t hat is not open f or public inspection, t he r ecords cust odian shall pr epare a r edact ed copy prior t o providing access. If q uest ions ar ise concerning r edact ion, t he r ecords custodian should coordinat e wit h counsel or other appr opr iate part ies r eg arding r evie w and r edact ion of r ecords. 2. W henever a r edact ed r ecord is pr ovided, a r ecords cust odian should pr ovide t he r eq uest or wit h t he basis f or r edact ion. T he basis g iven f or r edaction shall be g eneral in nat ure and not disclose conf idential inf orm ation. 5

6 I V. I nspecti on of Records A. T her e shall be no charge f or inspect ion of open public r ecor ds. An ap p o i n t m e n t i s r e q u i r e d f o r i n s p e c t i o n. B. T he locat ion f or inspection of r ecor ds wit hin t he of f ices of B l o u n t C o u n t y G o v e r n m e n t should be det er m ined by eit her t he PRRC or t he r ecor ds cust odian. C. Under r easonable cir cum st ances, t he PRRC or a r ecor ds custodian m ay r eq uir e an appointm ent f or inspect ion or m ay r eq uir e inspection of r ecords at an alt ernat e locat ion. T h e t i m e f o r a p p o i n t m e n t s s h o u l d b e m a d e w i t h i n n o r m a l b u s i n e s s h o u r s u n l e s s m u t u a l l y a g r e e d u p o n b y P R R C a n d t h e r e q u e s t o r. V. Copi es of Records A. A r ecor ds cust odian shall prom ptly r espond t o a public r ecor d r eq uest f or copies in t he m ost econom ic and ef f icient m anner pract icable. B. Copies wi ll be available f or pick up at a locat ion specif ied by t he r ecor ds cust odian. C. Upon paym ent f or post ag e, copies wil l be deliver ed t o t he r eq uest or s hom e addr ess by t he Unit ed St ates Postal Ser vice and/or . D. A r eq uest or will not be allo wed t o m ak e copies of r ecor ds wit h per sonal eq uipment, unless, copies are allowed to be made with personal equipment pursuant to and in accordance with T.C.A (a). VI. Fees and Charges and Procedures f or Bi ll i ng and Pa yment A. Fees and charg es f or copies of public r ecor ds should not be used t o hinder access to public r ecor ds. B. Recor ds custodians shall provide r eq uest or s wit h an it em ized estimat e of the charg es using a t t a c h e d For m prior t o producing copies of r ecor ds and m ay r eq uir e pre - paym ent of such charg es bef ore producing r eq uest ed r ecor ds. C. Requests for waivers for fees must be presented to the County Mayor, who is authorized to determine if such waiver is in the best interest of Blount County and for the public good. D. Fees and charg es f or copies are as f ollows a p p r o v a l o f i n c l u d i n g i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h a n d p u r s u a n t t o T. C. A ( c ) : 1. $ per pag e f or lett er- and leg al- size black and whit e copies if available and applicable. 2. $0. 50 per pag e f or lett er- and leg al- size color copies if available and applicable. 6

7 3. O t her : Add other offices that have statutory authority to charge more pursuant to T.C.A , T.C.A , T.C.A , and Labor when t im e exceeds 1 hour. 5. If an out side vendor is used, t he act ual cost s assessed by t he vendor. E. No duplication cost s wil l be charg ed f or r eq uest s f or less t han $ F. A c c e p t a b l e p a y m e n t m e t h o d s a r e a s n o r m a l c o u r s e o f b u s i n e s s w i t h B l o u n t C o u n t y G o v e r n m e n t : in cash, by per sonal check, by cr edit card, payable t o Blount County presented t o PRRC. G. Paym ent in advance will be r eq uir ed when cost s are est im at ed t o exceed $ I. Agg r eg at ion of Fr eq uent and Mult iple Req uest s 1. B l o u n t C o u n t y G o v e r n m e n t will agg reg ate r ecor d r eq uests in accor dance wit h t he Frequent and Mult iple Req uest Policy prom ulg ated by t he O O RC when more t han 4 r equests are r eceived wit hin a calendar mont h ( eit her f r om a sing le individual or a g r oup of individuals deemed work ing in concert). 2. If aggr eg at ing : a. T he level at which r ecor ds r eq uest s will be agg r egat ed is Blount County Government (w het her by agency, ent it y, depar tm ent, of f ice or otherw ise ). b. T h e P R R C i s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r m a k i n g t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h a t a g r o u p o f i n d i v i d u a l s a r e w o r k i n g i n c o n c e r t. 7

8 PUBL IC RECORDS R EQUES T FORM T h e T enn essee Pu b li c Reco rd s Act (T PR A) g ra nts T en n essee cit izen s th e righ t to a ccess o p en pu b lic reco rd s th a t exist a t th e ti me o f the req u est. Th e T PRA do es no t req uire reco rd s cu sto d ia n s to co mp il e in fo rmati on o r crea te o r recrea te reco rd s th a t do no t exis t. To: F rom: [ Inse r t Gover nment al Enti ty Na me and Name and Cont act Inf or mat i on for t he Publ i c Recor ds Request Coordi nat or ] [ Inse r t Reques tor s Name and Cont act Inf or mat i on (i ncl ude an addres s f or any T PRA r equir ed wr it ten r es ponse) ] Is t he reques tor a Tennesse e ci ti zen? Yes No Request: Inspe ct i on (T he T PRA does not per mi t f ees or r equi re a writ ten request f or i nspecti on onl y i.) Records Request ed: Copy/ Dupl i cate If cos t s f or copi es ar e ass esse d, the r equest or has a r i ght t o r ecei ve an est i mat e. Do you wi sh t o wai ve yo ur ri ght to an est i mat e and agr ee t o pay copyi ng and dupl icat i on cost s in an amount not t o exceed $? If so, i nit i al her e:. Del i very pref erence: On-Sit e Pi ck-up USPS Fi rst -Cl as s Ma il Electr onic Ot her : Provi de a det ai led desc ri pt ion of t he record( s) requested, i ncl udi ng: ( 1) t ype of recor d; (2) ti mef r ame or dat es for t he r ecor ds sought ; and ( 3) subj ect mat t er or key wor ds r elat ed to the r ecor ds. Under t he T PRA, r ecor d r equest s must be suff i ci ent l y det ail ed t o enable a go ver nment al entit y t o i dent if y t he spe ci fi c r ecor ds sought. As suc h, your r ecord r equest must pr ovi de enough det ail t o enabl e the r ecor ds cust odi an res pondi ng t o t he request t o i dent if y t he s pecif i c r ecor ds you ar e seeki ng. _ S ign atu re o f Req u esto r an d Date S u b mit ted S ign atu re o f P ub li c Reco rd s Req u est Coo rd in ato r an d Date Received i Not e, Ten n. C od e An n (a)(2 0 )(C ) p ermit s ch argin g for red acti on of p ri vat e record s of a ut i lit y. 8

9 [ Request or s Name and Cont act Inf or mat i on] : PUBL IC RECORD RE QUES T RES PONS E FORM [Insert Govern men tal En tity Na me an d Add ress] [ Dat e] In r es ponse t o your recor ds r equest r ecei ved on [ Dat e Request Recei ved], our of fi ce i s t aki ng t he act i on( s) 1 i ndicat ed bel ow: T he publ i c r ecor d( s) res ponsi ve t o your r equest wi ll be made avai l able f or i nspection: Locati on: Dat e & T i me: Copi es of publi c r ecor d(s) res ponsi ve t o your r equest ar e: At t ached; Avai l able f or pi ckup at t he f oll owi ng l ocati o n: ; or Bei ng deli ver ed vi a: USPS Fi r st -Cl as s Mail Ele ct r oni call y Ot her : _. Your r equest i s denied on the f ol l owi ng gr ounds: Your r equest was not suff ici ent l y detail ed t o enable ident if icati on of t he speci fi c r eques ted r eco r d(s). You need t o pr ovi de addit ional i nfor mat i on t o i denti f y t he r eques ted recor d(s). No suc h r ecor d(s) exists or t his off ice does not mai nt ain r ecor d( s) r esponsi ve t o your r equest. No pr oof of Tenness ee cit i zens hip was pr ese nt ed wit h your r equest. Your r eques t wi l l be reconsi dered upon pres ent at ion of an adequat e f or m of i dent if icat i on. You ar e not a T ennes see ci ti zen. You have not pai d t he est imat ed copyi ng/ pr oducti on fees. T he f ol l owi ng st at e, f eder al, or ot her appl icabl e l aw prohi bi t s disc losure of t he r eques ted recor ds:. It i s not pr act icabl e for t he recor ds you r equest ed t o be made pr ompt l y avai l able f or i nspe ct ion and/ or copyi ng because : It has not yet been det er mi ned t hat r ecor ds r esponsi ve to your r equest exi st ; or T he off ice is st il l i n t he pr ocess of r etr ievi ng, r evi ewing, and/ or r edacti ng t he r eques t ed records. T he ti me r easonabl y neces sar y t o produce t he r ecord( s) or i nf or mat i on and/ or to make a deter mi nati on of a pr oper res ponse t o your reques t i s: _. If you have any addi ti onal ques ti ons regar di ng your r ecor d r eques t, please cont act [ Recor ds Cust odi an or Publ i c Recor ds Request Coor di nator ]. Sinc er el y, [ Recor ds Cu st odi an or Publi c Recor d Request Coor dinat or] [ Name, T it le, and Contact Inf or mat i on] 1 If all r eq u est ed record s d o n ot have th e same resp on se, so i nd icat e. 9

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