[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Clementon as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fees — See Ch. 125.
[Adopted 8-27-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-13; amended in its entirety 11-23-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-22]
It is hereby declared to be the public policy of this Borough to recognize the public's general right to know pursuant to the Open Public Records Act (N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.). All records kept in the course of official duties by any Borough officer or employee shall be deemed to be "government records," as that term is defined in N.J.SA. 47:1A-1.1, and such records shall be subject to inspection by the public unless exempt under the statute or other regulation, common law practice, executive order of the Governor, Rules of Court, federal law or judicial decision.
In accordance with N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1, the Municipal Clerk is designated as the custodian of records. The forms to request government and police records adopted by the custodian of government records for the Borough of Clementon pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(f), and approved by resolution of the governing body of the Borough of Clementon, must be completed in full and submitted to the custodian of government records as required by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g) in order to obtain copies of government records as provided by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1, et seq.
A. 
Any person seeking to inspect, examine or copy a public record of this municipality shall make application in writing to the Municipal Clerk, during regular business hours, on the form provided. All requests for public records shall be as specific as possible, including the type of record and date created, if known.
B. 
The Municipal Clerk shall promptly comply with a request, examine, copy or provide a copy of a government record. If the Clerk is unable to comply with a request for access, he or she shall indicate on the request form the specific basis for such inability to comply and shall promptly return it to the requestor. The Clerk shall sign and date the form and provide the requestor with a copy thereof.
C. 
In those instances where the nature of the request or the record Itself leads the Municipal Clerk to doubt whether or not the record is a government record, as defined by law, or is a record exempt from disclosure, the Clerk shall request an opinion from the Municipal Attorney. A copy of the request form shall be forwarded to the Attorney, who, after review and investigation, shall issue an opinion and note such opinion on the request form and promptly return it to the Municipal Clerk.
D. 
If any part of a particular record is exempt from public access pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., the Clerk shall delete, redact or excise from a copy of the record that portion which is exempt from access and shall promptly permit access to the remainder of the record.
E. 
If the record requested is temporarily unavailable because it is in use or in storage, the Clerk shall so advise the requestor and shall make arrangements to make a copy of the record available.
F. 
If a request for access to a government record would substantially disrupt municipal operations, the Clerk may deny access to the record after attempting to reach a reasonable solution with the requestor that accommodates the interests of the requestor and the municipality.
G. 
As required by N.J.SA. 47:1A-5e, immediate access shall be granted for access to budgets, bills, vouchers, contracts (including collective negotiations agreements and individual employment contracts) and public salary and overtime information.
Unless a shorter time period is otherwise provided by statute, regulation or executive order, the Clerk shall grant access to a government record or deny a request for access to a record as soon as possible, but not later than seven business days after receiving the request, provided that the record is currently available and not in storage or archived. In the event that the Clerk fails to respond within seven business days after receiving a request, the failure to respond shall be deemed a denial of the request, unless the requestor has elected not to provide a name, address or telephone number, or other means of contacting the requestor, the Clerk shall not be required to respond until the requestor reappears before the custodian seeking a response to the original request. If the government record is in storage or archived, the requestor shall be so advised within seven business days after the Clerk receives the request. The requestor shall be advised by the Clerk when the record can be made available. If the record is not made available by that time, access shall be deemed denied.
The Clerk shall post prominently in public view, in or adjacent to the Clerk's office, a statement that sets forth in clear, concise and specific terms the right to appeal a denial of or failure to provide access to a government record and the procedure by which an appeal may be filed.
A. 
Upon the approval of a request to view, inspect, examine or copy a record, the record and the requestor shall remain in the presence of the Municipal Clerk or his or her authorized representative at all times. Under no circumstances shall any government record be removed from the office where it is normally kept unless accompanied by the custodian or his or her authorized representative.
B. 
In the event that the nature of a request to view records requires that the Clerk or other municipal employee observe or monitor such viewing for a period of time exceeding 15 minutes, the requestor shall be responsible for reimbursing the municipality for time spent by the Clerk or other employee.
Copies of records may be purchased for the fee prescribed by law or regulation. If a fee is not prescribed by law or regulation, the fee shall be the actual cost of duplicating the record; provided, however, that where the actual cost for duplication of a record exceeds the rates below, the actual cost shall be imposed:
A. 
Standard-sized paper documents, up to 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches in size.
[Amended 3-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
(1) 
8 1/2-by-11-inch pages: $0.05 per page.
(2) 
8 1/2-by-14-inch pages: $0.07 per page.
B. 
Large-sized paper documents and maps.
(1) 
Zoning Map: $2.50 (if sold separately from Zoning Ordinance).
(2) 
Street Map: $2.50.
(3) 
Drug-Free School Zone Map: $2.50.
(4) 
Soils Survey Map: $10.
(5) 
Site plan - per page: $5.
(6) 
Subdivision plat - per page: $5.
(7) 
Tax Map page: $5.
(8) 
Tax bill duplicates $5: ($15 for duplicate copy of same tax bill in same tax year).
(9) 
Engineering plans - per page: $5.
(10) 
Copy of computer screen: $0.75.
(11) 
Film developing: $15 (24 or 36 exposures).
(12) 
Enlargements: $15.
(13) 
Domestic partnership certified copies: $10.
(14) 
Domestic partnership affidavit: $28.
(15) 
Marriage license: $28.
(16) 
Certified copies of records of vital statistics: $25.
[Amended 6-19-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-11; 3-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
(17) 
Certified copies of death certificates: $15
[Added 5-16-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-09]
C. 
Preprinted documents.
(1) 
Zoning pamphlet (includes zoning map): $30.
(2) 
Land use pamphlet: $50.
(3) 
Master Plan: $45.
D. 
Police reports and photographs.
(1) 
All requests for discovery in matters pending in the Clementon Municipal Court shall be submitted through the Municipal Prosecutor.
(2) 
The following fees shall be payable by the requestor to the Borough of Clementon for the discovery provided:
(a) 
Five cents per page for 8 1/2-by-11-inch pages.
[Amended 3-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
(b) 
Seven cents per page for 8 1/2-by-14-inch pages.
[Amended 3-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05]
(c) 
(Reserved)[1]
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former Subsection D(2)(c), which indicated a decreased cost for police report photocopies of 11 or more pages, was repealed 3-21-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-05.
(d) 
Actual postage for any discovery sent by mail.
(e) 
Twenty-five cents for the envelope for any discovery sent by mail.
(f) 
Photographs will be photocopied at the rates established herein. If requests are made for duplicate photographs, the actual cost of making the photographs shall be charged.
(g) 
On any item that cannot be photocopied on the Borough copy machine or not otherwise provided for in this schedule, the actual cost incurred in making the copy shall be charged.
(3) 
In the event discovery must be obtained from an entity other than the Borough of Clementon, the actual cost paid to the other entity shall be paid by the requestor.
E. 
Electronic records.
(1) 
Copy of videotape.
(a) 
Tape supplied by requestor: $5.00.
(b) 
Tape supplied by municipality: $7.50.
(2) 
Copy of audiotape.
(a) 
Tape supplied by requestor: $ 5.00.
(b) 
Tape supplied by municipality: $ 7.50.
(3) 
Copy of electronic document or database. The following fees cover the cost of copying existing files to a floppy disk or CD. Any requests for software conversions shall be subject to the special service charge described below. For security reasons, the use of a floppy disk or CD provided by the requestor is prohibited.
(a) 
Floppy disks: $10.00, plus cost of disk ($0.50 each).
(b) 
CD: $10.00, plus cost of CD ($3.00 each).
F. 
Miscellaneous medium.
(1) 
Mailing labels: $10.00 per sheet.
G. 
Postage and surcharges.
(1) 
Postage and handling costs and will be added to all requests for public records required to be mailed and will be determined at the time of request.
(2) 
A surcharge of $0.50 per page will be applied to all records sent by fax.
(3) 
Extraordinary service charges shall be applied for any extensive use of information, technology or for the labor costs of personnel providing the service that is actually incurred by the Borough for programming, clerical and supervisory assistance required to provide a government record(s) in the medium requested if it is not a medium routinely used by the Borough, not routinely developed or maintained by the Borough or requiring a substantial amount of manipulation or programming of information. This rate shall be $45 per hour for programming and supervisory assistance and $35 per hour for clerical assistance.
H. 
A special service charge shall be imposed, in addition to the actual cost of duplicating the record, where the nature, format, manner of collation or volume of printed matter is such that it cannot be reproduced by ordinary document-copying equipment in ordinary business size or where such record involves an extraordinary expenditure of time and effort to accommodate the request. The requestor shall have the opportunity to review and object to the special service charge prior to it being incurred.
I. 
Conversion of records from one medium to another: cost of duplication, plus $35 per hour for supervisory and clerical assistance.
J. 
A deposit shall be paid prior to filling any anonymous request where it is estimated that the Information requested will cost in excess of $5 to reproduce. The amount of the deposit shall equal the total estimated cost of filling the request.