Tennessee joins number of states adjusting public records fees

Tennessee open records officials hope a hearing on Friday will lead to an outline of public records fees that strikes a balance between the concerns of those who file requests and those who fill requests. In addition to the actual duplication costs, the meeting is also expected to address charges for labor spent responding to requests.

Open records officials seeking to complete a fee schedule for records requests say a public hearing on Friday will help in trying to make sure all parties involved in the process are treated fairly.

Officials want input on proposed charges for duplicating public records. Right now they are proposing 20 cents for each standard black and white copy and 50 cents for each color copy.

The Office of Open Records Counsel is required to develop the schedule following legislation last session that updates the state's open records law. Those updates are the result of a reform initiative following the 2005 Tennessee Waltz corruption sting that led to convictions of five former state lawmakers.

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