Source: https://ecode360.com/15199149
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 00:37:30+00:00

Document:
§ 154-2 Duty to maintain records.
§ 154-4 Public access to records.
§ 154-6 Limitations on right to access.
§ 154-7 Retention and destruction of records.
§ 154-8 Records retention schedules.
§ 154-9 Preservation through microfilm and digital storage.
The total cost of personnel, including wages, fringe benefits and all other benefits and overhead related to the time spent in search of records.
Any of the following City of New Lisbon entities having custody of a City record: an office, elected official, agency, board, commission, committee, council, department or public body corporate and politic created by constitution, law, ordinance, rule or order, or a formally constituted subunit of the foregoing.
That officer, department head, division head, or employee of the City designated under § 154-3 or otherwise responsible by law to keep and preserve any City records or file, deposit or keep such records in his or her office, or who is lawfully in possession or entitled to possession of such public records and who is required by this chapter to respond to requests for access to such records.
The actual cost of personnel plus all expenses for paper, copier time, depreciation and supplies.
Any material on which written, drawn, printed, spoken, visual or electromagnetic information is recorded or preserved, regardless of physical form or characteristics, which has been created or is being kept by an authority. "Record" includes, but is not limited to, handwritten, typed or printed pages, maps, charts, photographs, films, recordings, tapes (including computer tapes), computer printouts and optical disks. "Record" does not include drafts, notes, preliminary computations and like materials prepared for the originator's personal use or prepared by the originator in the name of a person for whom the originator is working; materials which are purely the personal property of the custodian and have no relation to his or her office; materials to which access is limited by copyright, patent or bequest; and published materials in the possession of an authority other than a public library which are available for sale, or which are available for inspection at a public library.
Except as provided under §§ 154-7 and 154-8, each officer and employee of the City shall safely keep and preserve all records received from his or her predecessor or other persons and required by law to be filed, deposited or kept in his or her office or which are in the lawful possession or control of the officer or employee or his or her deputies, or to the possession or control of which he or she or they may be lawfully entitled as such officers or employees.
Upon the expiration of an officer's term of office or an employee's term of employment, or whenever the office or position of employment becomes vacant, each such officer or employee shall deliver to his or her successor all records then in his or her custody, and the successor shall receipt therefor to the officer or employee, who shall file said receipt with the City Clerk-Treasurer. If a vacancy occurs before a successor is selected or qualifies, such records shall be delivered to and receipted for by the City Clerk-Treasurer, on behalf of the successor, to be delivered to such successor upon the latter's receipt.
Each elected official is the legal custodian of his or her records and the records of his or her office, but the official may designate the City Clerk-Treasurer to act as the legal custodian.
As the custodian of the records of the City, the individuals in the positions designated in Subsection B shall be responsible to the Common Council for a timely response to any request for access to the public records of the City. The custodian shall be responsible for the release of the public records of the City, the conditions under which records may be inspected, and the collection of costs for the location, reproduction, and/or mailing or shipping of such records, as well as for the preparation of written statements denying access in whole or in part.
It is directed that all employees of the City be informed in writing that the above-described officers have been designated the custodians of the public records of the City. Employees shall further be informed of the duties of the custodians and shall also be made aware of the other requirements and provisions of this policy.
For every authority not specified in Subsections A and B, the authority's chief administrative officer is the legal custodian for the authority, but the officer may designate an employee of his or her staff to act as the legal custodian.
Each legal custodian shall name a person to act as legal custodian in his or her absence or in the absence of his or her designee, and each legal custodian shall send notice of the designated deputy to the City Clerk-Treasurer.
The City Clerk-Treasurer shall establish criteria for establishing the records system and shall cause the department/office records system to be reviewed on an annual basis.
Powers of the custodian of the records of the City.
All requests for the release, inspection and/or reproduction of the public records of the City shall be directed or referred to the responsible custodian.
The custodian is hereby vested with full legal power to make all necessary decisions relative to the withholding of or release, inspection and reproduction of public records and is further granted all authority necessary to carry out all duties and responsibilities required by either the Wisconsin Public Records Law (§§ 19.31 to 19.39, Wis. Stats.) or this chapter.
Except as provided in § 154-6, any person has a right to inspect a record and to make or receive a copy of any record of provided in § 19.35(1), Wis. Stats.
Adoption of fee schedule regarding the costs for the location and/or reproduction of the records of the City.
The Common Council hereby adopts a fee schedule in accord with § 19.35(3), Wis. Stats., to cover the actual costs relating to the location, reproduction and mailing or shipping of any of the records of the City. It is intended that this fee schedule shall cover the payment of the actual, necessary and direct costs incurred in locating a document, in providing any person with a reproduction of any of the records of the City and in sending the same to the requestor. This schedule shall be reviewed periodically by the Common Council and adjusted by motion or resolution as the need arises. Exceptions to the fee schedule may be considered by the custodian.
The actual full cost of providing a copy of other records not in printed form on paper, such as films, computer printouts and audiotapes and videotapes, shall be charged.
There shall be no charge for locating a record unless the actual cost thereof exceeds $50, in which case the actual cost shall be determined by the legal custodian and billed to the requester.
The legal custodian shall estimate the cost of all applicable fees and shall require a cash deposit adequate to assure payment, if such estimate exceeds $5.
Elected and appointed officials of the City shall not be required to pay for public records they may reasonably require for the proper performance of their official duties.
Pursuant to § 19.34(1), Wis. Stats., the City hereby adopts a notice as the official means of advising the public of the procedure of the City in responding to requests for release, inspection or reproduction of the records of the City.
The notice is intended to provide all necessary information which might be required by a member of the public in order to obtain access to the records of the City. Any questions in regard to the notice shall be directed to the custodian of the records of the City.
The notice may be modified from time to time by Common Council action, but absent such modification, the decisions of the custodian of the records of the City shall be in conformity with its provisions.
Pursuant to § 19.34, Wis. Stats., and the guidelines therein listed, each authority shall adopt, prominently display and make available for inspection and copying at its offices, for the guidance of the public, a notice containing a description of its organization and the established times and places at which, the legal custodian from whom, and the methods whereby the public may obtain information and access to records in its custody, make requests for records, or obtain copies of records, and the costs thereof. This subsection does not apply to members of the Common Council.
Indemnification of the custodian of the records of the City. Any costs or fees incurred by the legal custodian of the records of the City shall be directly reimbursed by the City to the custodian and shall not be treated as the personal liability of the custodian.
Separation of information. If a record contains information which may not be made public, the custodian shall separate from it such information as may be made public and make the latter available for inspection and reproduction. There shall be no fee charged for separation costs.
A request to inspect or copy a record shall be made to the legal custodian. A request shall be deemed sufficient if it reasonably describes the requested record or the information requested. However, a request for a record without a reasonable limitation as to subject matter or length of time represented by the record does not constitute a sufficient request. A request may be made orally, but a request must be in writing before an action to enforce the request is commenced under § 19.37, Wis. Stats. Except as provided below, no request may be refused because the person making the request is unwilling to be identified or to state the purpose of the request. No request may be refused because the request is received by mail, unless prepayment of a fee is required under § 154-4C(6). A requester may be required to show acceptable identification whenever the requested record is kept at a private residence or whenever security reasons or federal law or regulations so require.
Each custodian, upon request for any record, shall, as soon as practicable and without delay, either fill the request or notify the requester of the authority's determination to deny the request in whole or in part and the reasons therefor. If the legal custodian, after conferring with the City Attorney, determines that a written request is so general as to be unduly time consuming, the party making the request may first be required to itemize his or her request in a manner which would permit reasonable compliance.
A request for a record may be denied as provided in § 154-6. If a request is made orally, the request may be denied orally unless a demand for a written statement of the reasons for denying the request is made by the requester within five business days of the oral denial. If a written request is denied in whole or in part, the requester shall receive a written statement of the reasons for denying the request. Every written denial of a request shall inform the requester that, if the request for the record was made in writing, then the determination is subject to review upon petition for a writ of mandamus under § 19.37(1), Wis. Stats., or upon application to the Attorney General or a district attorney.
As provided by § 43.30, Wis. Stats., public library circulation records are exempt from inspection under this section.
Records obtained under official pledges of confidentiality which were necessary and given in order to obtain the information contained in them.
Pursuant to § 19.85(1)(a), Wis. Stats., records of current deliberations after a quasi-judicial hearing.
Pursuant to § 19.85(1)(b) and (c), Wis. Stats., records of current deliberations concerning employment, dismissal, promotion, demotion, compensation, performance, or discipline of any City officer or employee, or the investigation of charges against a City officer or employee, unless such officer or employee consents to such disclosure.
Pursuant to § 19.85(1)(d), Wis. Stats., records concerning current strategy for crime detection or prevention.
Pursuant to § 19.85(1)(e), Wis. Stats., records of current deliberations or negotiations on the purchase of City property, investing of City funds, or other City business whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require nondisclosure.
Pursuant to § 19.85(1)(f), Wis. Stats., financial, medical, social or personal histories or disciplinary data of specific persons which, if disclosed, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to in such history or data.
Pursuant to § 19.85(1)(g), Wis. Stats., communications between legal counsel for the City and any officer, agent or employee of the City, when advice is being rendered concerning strategy with respect to current litigation in which the City or any of its officers, agents or employees is or is likely to become involved, or communications which are privileged under § 905.03, Wis. Stats.
Pursuant to § 19.85(1)(h), Wis. Stats., requests for confidential written advice from an ethics board and records of advice given by such ethics board on such requests.
If a record contains information that may be made public and information that may not be made public, the custodian of the record shall provide the information that may be made public and delete the information that may not be made public from the record before release. The custodian shall confer with the City Attorney prior to releasing any such record and shall follow the guidance of the City Attorney when separating out the exempt material. If, in the judgment of the custodian and the City Attorney, there is no feasible way to separate the exempt material from the nonexempt material without unreasonably jeopardizing nondisclosure of the exempt material, the entire record shall be withheld from disclosure.
Whenever the Assessor, in the performance of the Assessor's duties, requests or obtains income and expense information pursuant to § 70.47(7)(af), Wis. Stats., or any successor statute thereto, then such income and expense information that is provided to the Assessor shall be held by the Assessor on a confidential basis; except, however, that the information may be revealed to and used by persons in the discharge of duties imposed by law; in the discharge of duties imposed by office (including but not limited to use by the Assessor in performance of official duties of the Assessor's office and use by the Board of Review in performance of its official duties); or pursuant to order of a court. Income and expense information provided to the Assessor under § 70.47(7)(af), Wis. Stats., unless a court determines that is inaccurate, is, per § 70.47(7)(af), Wis. Stats., not subject to the right of inspection and copying under § 19.35(1), Wis. Stats.
Historical records. Under § 19.21(4)(a), Wis. Stats., municipalities must notify the State Historical Society of Wisconsin (SHSW) prior to destroying records. However, the SHSW has waived the required 60 days' notice for any record marked "W" (waived notice). The SHSW must be notified prior to destruction of a record marked "N" (nonwaived). Notice is also required for any record not listed in § 154-8.
Microfilming or optical or digital imaging of records. Local units of government may keep and preserve public records through the use of microfilm, provided that the microfilm or optical imaging meets the applicable standards in § 16.612, Wis. Stats. Retention periods and estimated costs and benefits of converting records between media should be considered. After verification, paper records converted to microfilm or optical imaging should be destroyed. The retention periods identified in § 154-8 apply to records in any media.
Destruction pending litigation. No record subject to pending litigation shall be destroyed until the litigation is resolved.
Review and approval by Public Records and Forms Board. This chapter and the retention periods of less than seven years have been reviewed and approved by the Public Records and Forms Board.
Records description. Provides a brief description of the records. Group specific items such as forms into logical groups that have the same function or purpose.
Period of retention. Refers to the time that the identified records must be kept until destruction.
CR stands for creation which usually refers to receipt or creation of the record.
FIS stands for current fiscal year and the additional amount of time as indicated.
EVT stands for event and refers to an occurrence that starts the retention clock ticking. Close of contract, termination of employee, and disposition of a case are common events.
P stands for permanent retention.
Time. Is expressed in years unless specifically identified as month or day.
Authority. Refers to any specific statutory, administrative rule, or specific regulation that determines retention of the record. In most cases this will be blank because units of government have discretion to establish a time period.
SHSW notice. Refers to whether or not the State Historical Society of Wisconsin has waived the required statutory notification prior to destruction of records.
W means records are not historical and the required notification is waived.
N means the records may have secondary historical value and therefore SHSW notification is required on a case-by-case basis prior to destruction.
N/A means not applicable and refers to those circumstances where a local unit of government is retaining a record permanently.
Legal opinions. Legal opinions rendered shall not be destroyed and shall be retained permanently.
Any City officer or the director of any department or division of City government may, subject to the approval of the City Clerk-Treasurer, keep and preserve public records in his or her possession by means of microfilm or other photographic reproduction method. Such records shall meet the standards for photographic reproduction set forth in § 16.61(7)(a) and (b), Wis. Stats., and shall be considered original records for all purposes. Such records shall be preserved along with other files of the department or division and shall be open to public inspection and copying according to the provisions of state law and of §§ 154-4 through 154-6 of this chapter.

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