Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS)

T.C.A. § 10-7-506 grants Tennessee citizens the right to request copies of public records to which access is granted under the Tennessee Public Records Act (hereinafter "TPRA"). T.C.A. § 10-7-503(A)(7)(B)(i) provides that a records custodian "may require a requestor to pay the custodian's reasonable costs incurred in producing the requested material and to assess the reasonable costs in the manner established by the office of open records counsel pursuant to § 8-4-604." T.C.A. § 8-4-604(a)(1) requires the Office of Open Records Counsel ("OORC") to establish a schedule of reasonable charges ("Schedule of Reasonable Charges") which may be used as a guideline in establishing charges or fees for copies of public records requested pursuant to the Tennessee Public Records Act (T.C.A. Sections 10-7-503, et seq.)("TPRA"). The Schedule of Reasonable Charges from the Comptroller.

This Schedule of Reasonable Charges should not be interpreted as requiring a records custodian to impose charges for copies or duplication of public records. If a records custodian determines to charge for copies or duplication of public records, such determination and schedule of charges must be pursuant to a properly adopted rule and evidenced by a written policy approved by the governmental entity’s governing authority. Application of an adopted schedule of charges must not be arbitrary. Additionally, excessive fees and other rules must not be used to hinder access public records that are not confidential. A records custodian may reduce or waive, in whole or in part, any charge for copies or duplication of requested records only in accordance with the governmental entity’s properly adopted written policy.

Copy Charges

• A records custodian may assess a charge of 15 cents per page for each standard 8 ½ x 11 or 8 ½ x 14 black and white copy produced. A records custodian may assess a requestor a charge for a duplex copy that is the equivalent of the charge for two (2) separate copies.
• If a public record is maintained in color, the records custodian shall advise the requestor that the record can be produced in color if the requestor is willing to pay a charge higher than that of a black and white copy. If the requestor then requests a color copy, a records custodian may assess a charge of 50 cents per page for each 8 ½ x 11 or 8 ½ x14 color copy produced.
• If a records custodian's actual costs are higher than those reflected above or if the requested records are being produced on a medium other than 8 ½ x11 or 8 ½ x 14 paper, the records custodian may develop its own charges. The records custodian must establish a schedule of charges documenting "actual cost" and state the calculation and reasoning for its charges in a properly adopted policy. A records custodian may charge less than those charges reflected above. Charges greater than 15 cents for black and white, and 50 cents for color, can be assessed or collected only with documented analysis of the fact that the higher charges actually represent such governmental entity's cost of producing such material; unless there exists another basis in law for such charges.
• The Schedule of Reasonable Charges does not make a distinction in the charges assessed an individual requesting records under the TPRA based upon the intended use of the records. Other statutory provisions, such as T.C.A. Section 10-7-506(c), enumerate fees that may be assessed when specific documents are requested for a specific use. Any distinctions made, or waiver of charges permitted, must be expressly permitted in the adopted policy.

Additional Production Charges

• When assessing fees for items covered under the "Additional Charges" section, a records custodian shall utilize the most economical and efficient method of producing the requested records.
• A records custodian may charge its actual out-of-pocket costs for flash drives or similar storage devices on which electronic copies are provided. When providing electronic records, a records custodian may charge per-page costs only when paper copies that did not already exist are required to be produced in responding to the request, such as when a record must be printed to be redacted.
• If a requestor chooses not to personally retrieve records and the actual cost of delivering the copies, in addition to any other permitted charges, have been paid by the requestor or otherwise waived pursuant to the public records policy, then a records custodian is obligated to deliver the copies via USPS First-Class Mail. It is within the discretion of a records custodian to agree to deliver copies of records through other means, including electronically, and to assess the costs related to such delivery.
• If a records custodian utilizes an outside vendor to produce copies of requested records because the custodian is legitimately unable to produce the copies in his/her office, the cost assessed by the vendor to the governmental entity may be recovered from the requestor.
• If the records custodian is assessed a charge to retrieve requested records from archives or any other entity having possession of requested records, the records custodian may assess the requestor the cost assessed to the governmental entity for retrieval of the records.

Labor Charges

• "Labor" is defined as the time reasonably necessary to produce the requested records and includes the time spent locating, retrieving, reviewing, redacting, and reproducing the records.
• "Labor threshold" is defined as the labor of the employee(s) reasonably necessary to produce requested material for the first hour incurred by the records custodian in producing the material. A records custodian is not required to charge for labor or may adopt a labor threshold higher than the one reflected above.
• A records custodian is permitted to charge the hourly wage of the employee(s) reasonably necessary to produce the requested records above the "labor threshold." The hourly wage is based upon the base salary of the employee(s) and does not include benefits. If an employee is not paid on an hourly basis, the hourly wage shall be determined by dividing the employee’s annual salary by the required hours to be worked per year. For example, an employee who is expected to work a 37.5 hour work week and receives $39,000 in salary on an annual basis will be deemed to be paid $20 per hour. Again, a records custodian shall utilize the most cost efficient method of producing the requested records.
• In calculating the charge for labor, a records custodian shall determine the number of hours each employee spent producing a request. The records custodian shall then subtract the one (1) hour threshold from the number of hours the highest paid employee(s) spent producing the request. The records custodian will then multiply the total number of hours to be charged for the labor of each employee by that employee's hourly wage. Finally, the records custodian will add together the totals for all the employees involved in the request and that will be the total amount of labor that can be charged.
• Example: The hourly wage of Employee #1 is $15.00. The hourly wage of Employee #2 is $20.00. Employee #1 spends 2 hours on a request. Employee #2 spends 2 hours on the same request. Because employee # 2 is the highest paid employee, subtract the one hour threshold from the hours employee #2 spent producing the request. Multiply the number of hours each employee is able to charge for producing the request by that employee's hourly wage and then add the amounts together for the total amount of labor that can be charged ( i.e. (2x15)+(1x20)= $50.00). For this request, $50.00 could be assessed for labor.

Questions regarding this Schedule of Reasonable Charges should be addressed to Maria Bush, Open Records Counsel, at open.records@cot.tn.gov or (615) 401-7891.