Dunbar, West Virginia
From Sunshine Review
Dunbar is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia.[edit] Public records
On Monday, January 5, 2009 the city council of Dunbar approved an ordinance that would allow a charge of $10.00 per hour for time spent searching for documents requested under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act. An additional reproduction fee of $0.35 per page is also included in the ordinance. The following Wednesday, city council members said that they were going to do more research into the matter before implementing the search fee. As interim Mayor Jack Yeager put it, "We're going to delay it until we clarify whether we're within the law". No other municipalities in Kanawha County charge search fees when providing public records. [1]
On January 20, 2009, interim Mayor Yeager defended the resolution further, saying that it has cut down on the number of FOIA requests filed in the city. Yeager said that fewer FOIA requests was in the best interests of the city as the "city clerk has been sick for some time and the requests were very time consuming for employees. We are trying to keep our heads above water". [2] Two law students at West Virginia University decided to find out just how many Freedom of Information Act requests city officials had gotten, and discovered that the city has received only six requests between November of 2008 and February 2009. [3]
Candidate for city council Jim Brown believes that the new research fee is intended to single him out, and discourage him from filing FOIA requests. He has filed four requests for records because "I want to learn the business of the city. That's why I want these things." [4]
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[edit] References
- ↑ Dunbar backing off $10-an-hour FOIA fee, Charleston Gazette, January 8, 2009
- ↑ Mayor defends Dunbar FOIA-fee resolution, Charleston Gazette, January 21, 2009
- ↑ Since November, Dunbar has processed six FOIA requests, WVGazette, February 23, 2009
- ↑ Dunbar council candidate finds FOIA fee unfair, WV Gazette, February 3, 2009
