[Adopted as Ch. 6 of the 2001 Village Code]
In recognition of the fact that a representative government
is dependent upon an informed electorate, it is declared to be the
public policy of the Village of Blue Mounds that all persons are entitled
to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government
and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent
them. Further, providing persons with such information is declared
to be an essential function of a representative government and an
integral part of the routine duties of officers and employees whose
responsibility it is to provide such information. To that end, the
provisions of this article 67 shall be construed in every instance
with a presumption of complete public access, consistent with the
conduct of government business. The denial of public access generally
is contrary to the public interest, and only in an exceptional case
may access be denied. Any matter pertaining to public access to records
which is not included in this article 67 is governed by Wis. Stats.,
§§ 19.31 through 19.39, and other applicable laws.
As used in this article only, the following terms shall have
the meaning indicated:
AUTHORITY
Any of the following having custody of a Village record:
a Village office, elected or appointed official, agency, board, commission,
committee, department or public body corporate and politic created
by constitution, law, ordinance, rule or order; or a formally constituted
subunit of any of the foregoing. "Authorities" include but are not
limited to the Village Clerk/Treasurer, who shall also have custody
of the records of the Village Board, the Police Chief, the Municipal
Court Judge, the Director of Public Works, the Assessor, the Building
Inspector, the Attorney, and such other authorities as may be established
or created from time to time unless at the time of their establishment
or creation some other custodian is expressly designated.
RECORD
Any material on which written, drawn, printed, spoken, visual
or electromagnetic information is recorded or preserved, regardless
of physical form or characteristics, which has been created or is
being kept by an authority. "Record" includes, but is not limited
to, handwritten, typed or printed pages, maps, charts, photographs,
films, recordings, tapes (including computer tapes), computer printouts,
and optical disks. "Record" does not include drafts, notes, preliminary
computations and like materials prepared for the originator's personal
use or prepared by the originator in the name of a person for whom
the originator is working unless and until such materials are submitted
to any authority for its review, consideration or action; materials
which are purely the personal property of the custodian and have no
relation to his or her office; materials to which access is limited
by copyright, patent or bequest; and published materials in the possession
of an authority other than a public library which are available for
sale, or which are available for inspection at a public library.
[Amended 5-14-2014 by Ord. No. A-221]
REQUESTER
Any person who requests inspection or copies of a record.
The authority shall provide any person who is authorized to
inspect or copy a record with facilities comparable to those used
by Village employees to inspect, copy, and abstract the record during
established business hours.
Challenges to records containing personally identifiable information
may be made and responded to in accordance with Wis. Stats. § 19.365.
[Amended 7-9-2008 by Ord.
No. A-190; 5-14-2014 by Ord. No. A-221; 3-13-2019 by Ord. No. A-239]
A. General
Records Schedule adopted. The Village herby adopts, by reference,
the Wisconsin Municipal Records Schedule (hereinafter "Records Schedule"),
pertaining to the retention and destruction of public records and
approved by the State of Wisconsin Public Records Board (hereinafter
"Records Board") on August 27, 2018. A copy of the Records Schedule
will be kept on file in the Village Clerk’s office located at
11011 Brigham Avenue and made available for public viewing during
open office hours.
B. Other records.
In the event the Village creates a record not contemplated by the
Records Schedule, the Village may, subject to the Records Board’s
prior approval, either adopt an applicable records retention schedule
set forth by the Records Board, if available, or create its own retention
schedule pertaining to the record.
C. Repeal.
All ordinances, or portions thereof, or resolutions, or portions thereof,
in conflict with any portion of the Records Schedule are hereby repealed.
Any approved Village retention schedule, or portion thereof, for any
record not contemplated by the Records Schedule shall remain in full
force and effect.
Any Village authority or custodian may, subject to the approval
of the Village Board, keep and preserve public records through the
use of microfilm or optical imaging, provided the microfilm or optical
imaging meets the applicable standards in Wis. Stats. § 16.61(7)
or 16.62. Retention periods and estimated costs and benefits of converting
records between different media should be considered. After verification,
paper records converted to microfilm or optical imaging should be
destroyed. The retention periods identified in this article apply
to records in any media. Such records shall be open to public inspection
and copying according to the provisions of state law and this article.
[Added 7-9-2008 by Ord. No. A-190]
A. Applicability. This section applies to all invoices which are billed
to the Village of Blue Mounds and passed through to the individual
responsible for payment.
B. Processing fees. There shall be a processing fee of 1% of the invoiced amount (with a minimum processing fee of $5) added to all invoices charged to the Village of Blue Mounds which are passed through by the Village to the individual responsible for payment. Said processing fee shall not apply to water and sewer service charges covered by Chapters
282 and
357.
C. Interest. Interest at the rate of 18% per annum, compounded monthly,
shall accrue on all invoices owed to the Village of Blue Mounds which
are 30 days past due. All invoices shall bear the notation: "Interest
will be charged at 18% per annum, compounded monthly, on accounts
30 days past due."
[Adopted 6-14-2017 by Ord. No. A-235]
This article adopts by reference § 70.47(7)(af), Wis.
Stats. Income and expense information provided by a property owner
to an assessor for the purposes of establishing the valuation for
assessment purposes by the income method of valuation shall be confidential
and not a public record open to inspection or copying under § 19.35(1),
Wis. Stats.
An officer may make disclosure of such information under the
following circumstances:
A. The Assessor has access to such information in the performance of
his/her duties;
B. The Board of Review may review such information when needed, in its
opinion, to decide upon a contested assessment;
C. Another person or body has the right to review such information due
to the intimate relationship to the duties of an office or as set
by law;
D. The officer is complying with a court order; or
E. The person providing the income and expense information has contested
the assessment level at either the Board of Review or by filing a
claim for excessive assessment under § 74.37 Wis. Stats.,
in which case the base records are open and public.