WILLOWS WATER DISTRICT
POLICY FOR ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS
This policy is adopted to protect District records and prevent unnecessary interference with the regular discharge of the District's duties, as allowed by the Colorado Open Records Act, C.R.S. 24-72-203, and define the method by which the legal obligation of the District to provide public access to its records and requests for information will be handled. The following guidelines will dictate the answering of public information requests:
1) Inspection of Public Records. All public records of the District shall be open for inspection at the times designated herein, unless prohibited by the provisions of Part 2 of Title 24, Article 72 (Open Records Act) or policies adopted by the Board of Directors in conformance with the Open Records Act.
2) Official Custodian. The Official Custodian under the Open Records Act is designated by the Districts Board of Directors. The District Manager is currently the Official Custodian.
3) Request for Inspection. Request for inspection and copying of any public records of the District shall be made to the Official Custodian in writing and shall set forth the particular documents or record desired to be inspected or copied. If such document or record is available for inspection and copying, the Official Custodian will notify the applicant of the date, time and location where the material can be inspected or copied. The records will be available for inspection and copying within three working days of the request, unless the Official Custodian determines in writing that extenuating circumstances exist, in which case the records will be available for inspection within seven working days of the request. If such public record is not available in the District's office, the applicant will be promptly notified of this fact.
4) Times for Inspection. Inspection of the District's public records shall be made, where permitted by law, at the District's office during the hours from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on holidays, at an hour specifically set by the Official Custodian for each particular request for inspection.
5) Copies, Print-Outs, or Photographs of Public Records. In a case where a person has a right to inspect a public record of the District under the control of the Official Custodian and requests in writing that the District furnish copies, print-outs or photographs thereof, the Official Custodian will notify the applicant if such record is available for copying, and may furnish such copies, print-outs or photographs for a fee which shall not exceed Twenty-five cents ($.25) per standard page or the actual cost of providing a copy, printout, or photograph of a public record in a format other than a standard page, unless a higher fee is permitted by the Open Records Act.
6) Requests Requiring Research or Retrieval. If an applicant requests public records of the District that require research or retrieval, the District may impose a fee of forty-one dollars and thirty-seven cents ($41.37) per hour for time expended conducting research and retrieval or such higher fee permitted by the Open Records Act. The District will not impose a charge for the first hour of time expended in connection with the research and retrieval of public records.
7) Exemptions. No person shall be permitted to inspect or copy any records of the District if, in the opinion of the Official Custodian after consultation with the District's general counsel, such inspection or copying would come within the prohibition of one or more exemptions set forth in the Open Records Act.
Policy established by the District Manager, Official Custodian for Public Records (see Resolution dated July 16, 2004).
WILLOWS WATER DISTRICT
District Manager