Monitor fees charged by records custodians

How much have you been charged to get copies of public records? Wisconsin law allows records custodians to charge a reasonable fee, but it’s not always easy to determine what’s “reasonable.”

The Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council discussed this at a meeting on Thursday after this report of lawmakers using costs to deflect records requests. The Council also discussed the case of a records custodian in Wisconsin that, by policy, charges a minimum $55 for all records request. This is believed to be in violation of state open records statutes.

If you’ve ever got a question about open records fees, contact Your WBA at 608-255-2600 or contact@wi-broadcasters.org or call the WBA Legal Hotline.