(a) All public records of the District shall be open for inspection at the times designated herein, unless prohibited by the provisions of CORA or policies adopted by the Board of Directors in conformance with CORA.
(b) Upon receipt, requests by a citizen, entity, Federal or State agency, District member, subpoena, Administrative or Court Order, or other legal process, to inspect and/or copy any District record (collectively referred to as a “Records Request”) should be immediately sent to the Official Custodian.
(c) Every Records Request shall be submitted to the District's Official Custodian in writing and be specific as to the information desired.
(d) If any question arises as to the propriety of fully complying with a Records Request, the Official Custodian shall immediately forward it to the District's legal counsel.
(e) The District's legal counsel shall determine the District's obligations under the applicable Federal and/or State law(s). If the District is permitted to comply with the Records Request in whole or in part, the District's legal counsel will so notify the District's Official Custodian, who will assemble the disclosable requested documents for inspection and/or copying in accordance with applicable Federal or State law.
(f) If the District's legal counsel determines the District is not permitted by Federal or State law to comply with the Records Request in whole or in part, a written response to the party submitting the Records Request stating the legal basis upon which the Records Request in whole or in part is being denied.
(g) Pursuant to CORA, all records must be made available for inspection within three (3) working days, unless extenuating circumstances exist. The deadline may be extended by seven (7) working days if extenuating circumstances exist and the requesting party is notified of the delay within the statutory period. The Official Custodian may set the time during normal office hours and the place for records to be inspected and require that the Official Custodian or a delegated party be present while the records are examined. Inspection of the District’s public records shall be made, where permitted by law, during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, except on holidays, at an hour specifically set by the appropriate Official Custodian for each particular request for inspection
(h) A person granted the right to inspect District records may also be furnished copies requested at a cost of twenty-five cents ($.25) per standard page. The charge for providing a copy, printout or photograph of a public record in a format other than a standard page will be assessed at the actual cost of production. Additionally, in those cases where the location or existence of specific documents must be researched and the documents must be retrieved, sorted or reviewed for applicability to the request, and such process requires more than one hour of staff time, the Custodian may charge a research and retrieval fee not to exceed thirty dollars ($30.00) per hour. The Custodian will not impose a charge for the first hour of time expended in connection with the research and retrieval of public records.
(i) The District may require a deposit to cover the estimated cost to produce the records, including the cost of the copies and the research and retrieval fee, prior to commencing work to produce such records. Payment of any actual costs exceeding the deposit must be made at the time of release of the final work product or copies.
(j) When practical, the copy, printout, or photograph of the requested record will be made in the place where the record is kept, but if it is impractical to do so, the Official Custodian may allow arrangements to be made for the copy, printout, or photograph to be made at other facilities. If other facilities are necessary, the cost of providing requested records will be paid by the person making the request.
(k) 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 CORA.