01/07/2008 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

• • • Requests for Government Data - 2 How soon must the City respond to a data request? The City must respond to a data request appropriately and promptly. More than anything else, what is appropriate and prompt depends upon the scope of the request, and may vary depending upon such factors as the size and complexity of the City, the type and/or quantity of data requested, the clarity of the data request, and the number of staff available to respond to the request. The City has established the following guidelines for response time: a) For requests for standard information, which can be retrieved fairly easily, staff shall accommodate the request within two working days. b) For more complex, larger requests, the information shall be provided within five working days of the request. If the request cannot be answered immediately, the requestor should be informed as to how long it is likely to take. If the information is unavailable or not public, staff should provide that information as quickly as possible along with the reason or specific law the applies. What is the appropriate response to a data request? The first step in responding to a data request is to determine what specific data are requested. This may require the City to seek clarification from the requestor. The City also must determine whether it maintains the requested data. The City is not required to provide data which it does not maintain. The City also is not required to produce data in a particular form or format if the data are not maintained in that form or format. If the City maintains the requested data, it then must determine how the data are classified. If the City determines that the data are public, it must provide the data to the requestor, regardless of who the requestor is or the reason for requesting the data. What if the data that is requested is not public? If the City determines that the requested data are not public, you must inform the requestor. This may be done orally at the time of the request, or may be done in writing as soon as possible after the request is made. The City must cite the specific statutory section, temporary classification or specific provision of federal law that classifies the data. If requested, the City must provide a written certification that the request has been denied including the specific statutory section, temporary classification or specific provision of federal law upon which the denial was based.