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Re: electronic copies of public records



Julie,
        How do you plan to get these documents into electronic form?  Have
they already been scanned/entered into an optical imaging system/database?
        You are absolutely correct that the number of requests will
increase.
        Here in Suffolk County we are also prohibited from charging other
than .25 per page for photocopies.  However, we may charge for certifying a
copy.  An electronic copy, with a notation that "this is not a certified
copy" or similar text, should help with your security concerns.
        Meanwhile, about fees, the time it takes to enter these documents
into a system, for your dp people to maintain the system, etc. should
justify some fee.  But, the big question, how will you collect it?  Now
you're talking e-business, secure connections, credit cards, etc.
        Here, you still have to come out to the county seat for a copy.
References such as liber & page numbers for deeds, we are happy to email,
but to get the "real deal", requires a personal visit.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kerssen, Julie [SMTP:Julie.Kerssen@METROKC.GOV]
> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2001 12:30 PM
> To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> Subject:      electronic copies of public records
>
> I work for the county government in Seattle, where we are currently
> grappling with the question of what to do when a citizen requests an
> electronic copy of a public record.  We need to create a policy to deal
> with these requests and are wondering if anyone else has thought about
> this.  As I see it, there are two main issues:
>
> First, should we send citizens copies of public records via email if they
> request it?  The main concern we can see with this is security -- if a
> member of the public has an electronic copy of a document, it would be
> very easy for them to make changes to it, perhaps maliciously, and then
> claim it was an original.  We could send read-only copies, but it still
> wouldn't be too difficult for someone to create an edited document from
> it.  Of course, people can make forgeries from photocopied documents as
> well, but sending them electronically just makes it that much easier.  If
> we determine this is a significant issue, we could conceivably write the
> policy to state that only paper copies of documents will be given to
> citizens.  However, we then have to justify this to the public, and since
> the convenience of having something emailed to you beats coming into the
> office in person, people may not be too happy about it.
>
> Second, if we do decide to go ahead and email public records, we need to
> decide if and how much we will charge for the service.  Our fear (perhaps
> unjustified) about making the service free is that we will be completely
> flooded with requests for public records.  By law, we are only allowed to
> charge a "reasonable" fee for copies, and cannot charge for labor (since
> the public is already paying our salaries).  We charge 15 cents per page
> for photocopies, but that charge is justified by use of paper and toner,
> wear and tear on the copier, etc.  With electronic copies, there are no
> materials to charge for, and it doesn't seem right to charge for
> depreciation of the computer since it doesn't wear out with use like a
> copier does.  My supervisor suggested charging for computer time, meaning
> that while the computer was completing the request, it wouldn't be doing
> other work.  If we do charge, it seems like we should do a flat
> per-document fee, since it's no harder to email a 100-page document than a
> 1-page document.  But again, if we do establish a fee, we need to be able
> to justify the cost.
>
> SO -- are any other public agencies dealing with this topic?  Do you email
> documents?  Do you charge for the service?  Are there other issues we
> haven't considered?  Any thoughts (or established policies) will be
> greatly appreciated!  Thank you -
>
> Julie Kerssen
> King County, WA
> <http://www.metrokc.gov/recelec/archives/>
>

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