60.03.020 Fees

(a) The intent of this section is to establish that the records should be furnished at the lowest possible cost to the person requesting the records while ensuring that the requestor pays for the searching and copying of the record and to not have the public body bear the cost of searching and copying.

(b) The public body may establish and collect fees not to exceed the actual cost of searching for and/or making copies of public records. Fees charged by a public body must be uniform for copies of the same records or document. However, members of the Tribal Council may receive copies of records or documents at no charge from public bodies when their request relates to their legislative duties.

(c) When appropriate, records may be furnished without charge or at a reduced charge where the public body determines that waiver or reduction of the fee is in the public interest because furnishing the information can be considered as primarily benefiting the general public.

(d) Fees may not be charged for examination and review to determine if the documents are subject to disclosure. Nothing in this section prevents a public body from charging a reasonable hourly rate for making records available to the public or from requiring a reasonable deposit of these costs before searching for or making copies of the records.