Open Records | Griffin, GA

Open Records Notice

By Resolution of the Board of Commissioners, adopted at the regular meeting held February 22, 2022, Jessica O'Connor is designated as Open Records Officer and Susan Bartholomew and Felicia Trammel are designated as Assistant Open Records Officers. All Open Records Act Requests shall be made, in writing, and served upon the Open Records Officer or a designated Assistant in one of the following ways: (a) in person during normal business hours of the City at One Griffin Center, 100 S. Hill Street, 3d Floor, Griffin, GA 30223; (b) by U.S. Mail addressed to Open Records Officer, City of Griffin, P.O. Box T, Griffin, GA 30224; (c) by statutory overnight delivery addressed to Open Records Officer, City of Griffin, 100 S. Hill Street, 3rd Floor, Griffin, GA 30223; (d) by email addressed to Records@cityofgriffin.com. The enforcement provisions of O.C.G.A. Secs. 50-18-73 & 74 shall be available only to enforce non-compliance when a written request is made consistent with this notice. No enforcement shall be available for non-compliance with oral requests. Forms for making written requests are available, without charge, at One Griffin Center, 100 S. Hill Street, 3d Floor, and on the City's website.

Allowed customary costs may include, but are not limited to, the following:

$.10 Per page for Public Records copied/scanned – 8-1/2 x 11 or 8-1/2 x 14, Black and White

$ .25 Per page for Public Records copied/scanned – 8-1/2 x 11 or 8-1/2 x 14, Color

$ .50 Per page for Public Records copied/scanned – 11 x 17, Black and White

$ .75 Per page for Public Records copied/scanned – 11 x 17, Color

$8.00 Per thumb drive for data storage

$1.00 Per disc (CD) for data storage

$10.00 Per disc (DVD) for video storage (Body Worn Camera, Drone or Dash Cam recordings)

TBD Mailing costs, in lieu of picking up at One Griffin Center, based on preferred method of delivery

TBD Labor cost as specified below

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The above material costs do not include charges for time expended for search, retrieval, redaction, review and other direct administrative costs for complying with a request under this Code section. The hourly charge shall not exceed the salary of the lowest paid, full-time employee who, in the discretion of the custodian of the records, has the necessary skill and training to perform the request; provided, however, that no charge shall be made for the first quarter hour.” O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71(d).

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CITY OF GRIFFIN, GEORGIA

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESSING PUBLIC RECORDS

The strong public policy of the State of Georgia is in favor of open government. The City of Griffin shares the belief that open government is essential to a free, open, and democratic society, and that public access to public records should be encouraged to foster confidence in government.

The City of Griffin is an agency covered by Georgia’s Open Records Law, O.C.G.A. §50-18-70, et seq. Under this law, all public records shall be open for personal inspection and copying, except those which by order of a court or by law are specifically exempted from disclosure. In order to comply with this law, the City has designated an Open Records Officer and Assistant Open Records Officers. These persons are specially trained in public records management and compliance with the Open Records Law. An Open Records Officer is available daily, during normal business hours, except weekends and City-observed holidays, to assist you with public records requests.

Under most circumstances, records will be made available for inspection within a reasonable amount of time following receipt of a request; generally, the request will be fulfilled within three (3) business days. If a request poses unusual requirements, within 3 business days you will be sent a written response telling you what records exist and the estimated cost for search, retrieval, redaction, production and copying of those records. You will be expected to pay the cost at the time records are produced for inspection and/or pickup. In any instance in which an agency seeks costs in excess of $25.00 for responding to a request, the agency shall notify the requester within a reasonable amount of time, not to exceed three business days, and inform the requester of the estimate of the costs. The agency may defer search and retrieval of the records until the requester agrees to pay the estimated costs unless the requester has stated in his/her request a willingness to pay an amount that exceeds the search and retrieval costs. In any instance in which the estimated costs for production of the records exceeds $500.00, an agency may insist on prepayment of the costs prior to beginning search, retrieval, review, or production of the records (O.C.G.A. . § 50-18-71(d)).

Should the records you request be covered by a specific exemption from inspection, you will be given a written response setting forth the exemption claimed. Some exemptions are limited and only apply to certain data contained within the record; if this applies, the exempt data will be redacted and you may inspect a redacted version of this record.

Inspection of a public record includes your right to copy the record. Requesters are welcome to view videos or records at City Hall, in lieu of obtaining a copy, but the review shall take place without the opportunity for copying, unless the costs for production of said CDs or DVDs have been satisfied. Once production costs are satisfied, the requester may create his/her own copy and/or photocopy as allowed by Open Records Act law or purchase on City media.

The City may charge reasonable fees for copying/scanning requested records as noted above. Odd-sized records, certain electronic files, and other unique requests may be reproduced at the City’s actual cost, with determination of the cost made at the time of the request.

Georgia HB976 mandates, as of 7-1-16, that body-worn cameras and dash cams shall be retained for 180 days (6 months) except when such recordings capture an arrest, use of force by officer, or a vehicular accident, in which case it must be stored for 30 months. If there are other investigations or pending litigation, such recordings must be kept through final adjudication.

A request to inspect records will not be deemed filed until filed with the City’s Open Records Officer or a designated Assistant Open Records Officer. Filings should be made in writing, whenever possible, to assure the request is filled accurately and timely. Requests may be personally served on the Open Records Officer, or a designated Assistant Open Records Officer, at City Hall, One Griffin Center, 100 S. Hill Street, Third Floor, Griffin, GA 30223 during normal business hours, requested from the City’s website portal, by certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested, or statutory overnight delivery, addressed to the Officer at the above address. Further, you may file a request by emailing to Records@cityofgriffin.com. Emails should be clearly labeled “Open Records Act Request.”