The following rules and regulations shall apply to the public
inspection and copying of such town records as are subject to public
inspection by law, and shall continue in effect until altered, changed,
amended or superseded by further resolution of the Town Board or by
action of the Committee on Open Government established pursuant to
state law.
Such records shall be made available for inspection at the office
of the town officer or employee charged with the custody and keeping
thereof.
Such records shall be made available for public inspection on
regular business days between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.,
if readily available. If not readily available, written request specifically
describing records to which access is desired shall be filed with
the town officer or employee charged with the custody and keeping
thereof, who shall produce same within 48 hours of such request. Such
written request shall be on the form prescribed by the State Comptroller.
If the town officer or employee charged with the custody and keeping
of the record elects to refuse access, he shall submit to the requestor
a written statement of his reason therefor within 48 hours of such
request.
To prevent an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, the
Committee on Open Government may promulgate guidelines for the deletion
of identifying details for specified records which are to be made
available. In the absence of such guidelines, an agency or municipality
may delete identifying details when it makes records available. An
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy includes, but shall not be
limited to:
A. Disclosure of such personal matters as may have been reported in
confidence to an agency or municipality and which are not relevant
or essential to the ordinary work of the agency or municipality.
B. Disclosure of employment, medical or credit histories or personal
references of applicants for employment, except such records may be
disclosed when the applicant has provided a written release permitting
such disclosure.
C. Disclosure of items involving the medical or personal records of
a client or patient in a hospital or medical facility.
D. The sale or release of lists of names and addresses in the possession
of any department is such lists would be used for private, commercial
or fund-raising purposes.
E. Disclosure of items of a personal nature when disclosure would result
in economic or personal hardship to the subject party and such records
are not relevant or essential to the ordinary work of the department.
Each department shall maintain and make available for public
inspection and copying, in conformity with such regulations
as may be issued by the Committee on Open Government, a current list,
reasonably detailed by subject matter, of any records which shall
be produced, filed or first kept or promulgated after the effective
date of this article. Such list may also provide identifying information
as to any records in the possession of the department on or before
the effective date of this article.
The Records Retention and Disposition Schedule MU-1 is adopted.