P-0420 - Fee Schedule for Copies and Process 01-01-1993

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THE \CA~~ S OBSERI-ER WEONESOAY, JULY ~ Z, 1495 3A New law m ' ekes ubl~c records more accessible The new rules strengthen Pe~Y per voter -to copy it onto a State and county agencies ini- "Open government is the foun- ^ The law requires officials to 530 computer tape. tially argued that changes in the dation of freedom," Cooper said. release public records even if they ways for North Caro inians fo "I wrote a check and paid it records portion would be too "All we have done is make sure are mixed with private ones - .fend and get. information. !t under protest," Holmes said. "I costly to implement. But they the taxpayers have access to and at no additional cost for knew that wasn't right:" agreed to the changes because of public records they have already separating them. Agencies also allows requires agencies to bast week, the General Assem- a provision that gives them more paid for. We did have government must create an index of all com- provide on index of their bly passed a new open records law time to comply, legislators said. viewing these requests as records puler databases they have and eom uter databases. that .would satisfy Holmes' com- All state agencies, for example, they could turn azound and sell for indude information -about what is p plaints. It would help lower the must comply by next July. And a profit." on each database. It also- makes it BY J. ANDREW CURWSS cost for citizens to obtain public .towns with fewer than 10,000 The bill, which becomes law deaz that records available in. STAFF WRITER records, and would allow greater people and counties with a popula- Oct. 1, updates several aspects of computer form should be provid- ~ access to documents in the age of lion of less than 25,000 have until the old law, including: ed that way if requested. State Rep. George Holmes was a computerized government bu- J,~y 1998 to meet the new Stan- ^ Agencies can now charge on- ^ A judge can now order an convinced that the public records reaucracy. dard. ly for the "actual cost" of produc- individual public official -not his law needed fixing when he tried ~to This week, Holmes got his check The new law does not. open ing a record. Before, they could agency - to pay attorney fees if get a list of the voters in his returned in the mail. Ripped in records that were closed, but charge for "reasonable" costs, the official unlawfully withholds district. half. instead strengthens ways to find which in some cases included such records. ..................... o mes, a Hamptonville Repub- For three years, lobbyists and and get available public records, things as electricity for running a "This law puts .North Carolina lican, simply asked the Wilkes the state's newspapers have officials said. copy machine. among the states with the best or County Board of Elections for its pushed legislators to change pub- Sen. Roy Cooper, a Rocky strongest public records Laws in computerized list. lic records and open meetings Mount Democrat and the bill's ^ The law now specifically says' the country," said Ken Eudy, a He was given the records, but laws. The meetings portion chief sponsor, said every citizen is officials should provide records lobbyist for the N.C. Press Associ- he had to cough up 5390.26 - a passed last year. helped by the law. "as promptly as possible." ation.