FAQ: REQUESTING PUBLIC RECORDS
Q: How do I know who has the records I need? Who do I ask?
A: Call the City Council office at 342-4090. The City Records Administrator will
take your request and facilitate preparing the records with the custodial office.
Q: Do I have to give you my name, address, or phone number?
A: No. However, you can choose to give us that information if you want us to call and let you know the records are ready, or want them delivered to you.
Q: Do I have to fill out a form?
A: No. To be sure we understand your request, we might ask questions and make
notes, or you can choose to put your request in writing.
Q: Do I have to tell you why I want the records, or how I plan to use them?
A: No. However, we file by subject so we will need to know what the subject
matter is.
Q: Am I allowed to have everything in your files?
A: No. The law exempts some information. If we can’t give you something, we
will tell you the part of the law that exempts it.
Q: How far back can I see records?
A: We have retention periods for records based on their content. We can tell you
how far back we have the records you want, and you can see our approved
retention schedules.
Q: How soon will the records be ready for me to look at or have copies of?
A: Our goal is good customer service and we comply with the law that requires
us to prepare records promptly. The time you wait will depend on how many
records you want and where they are stored.
Q: Is there a limit to how often I can request records?
A: No.
Q: Is there a limit to how many records I can ask for?
A: No. However, if you need a large number of records
1) We will probably ask some questions to help narrow your request to what
is actually related to your subject matter.
2) We will estimate or calculate the cost and let you know in advance in case
you want to ask for fewer records. If the cost is expected to be more than
$25, we might ask you to pay a $10 deposit in advance.
Q: How much do records copies cost?
A: Letter-sized, black and white photocopies are 5¢ a page. Color copies, larger
copies, and non-paper copies have different costs. We have an approved fee
schedule based on what it actually costs in materials to make a copy. We can
tell you the cost of the kind of copy you want, and you can see the entire fee
schedule.
Q: What kinds of non-paper copies can I ask for?
A: You can have the copies in any format we store them in and can copy them in based
on our normal business procedures.
Q: Can I take records to a commercial copying store or my home computer to
make my own copies?
A: No. Original records stay in the public office to be available to all citizens and
the public employees. You may bring a camera to photograph paper documents
in our office. Otherwise, we need to make the copies for you.
Q: What if I only need some of the information in a document or file?
A: The City of Gahanna strives to assist citizens in every possible way. However,
requests for information are not considered “public records requests” so we are
not under the same legal obligations as we are for preparing records for you to
look at or get copies of. We are not required to create customized records, tailored
to your request. It is your responsibility to do your own research or summarizing.
Q: Are e-mails public records?
A: E-mail messages are judged by the same criteria as records on paper or in any other
format. If the content meets the law’s definition of a public record, meaning that
it documents the business activity of a public office, the message is a public record.
Because an e-mail inbox is not a storage system, public record messages are printed
and filed with paper records of that subject.
Q: Can I ask for a list of e-mail messages you printed then deleted?
A: Our computer system does not generate such a list and we don’t create one
manually.
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