Public Meeting

Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority

announced

Meeting documents

Public Records Request Policy other

Open official PDF ↗ 3 pages sha256:e23cd30bfa35…

  • I. PURPOSE The purpose of this policy is to establish uniform procedures for the receipt, processing, review, and production of public records requests in compliance with the Louisiana Public Records Law, La. R.S. 44:1 et seq., while protecting records or information exempt from disclosure and ensuring GAEDA’s essential operations are not unduly disrupted. II. AUTHORITY This policy is adopted pursuant to the Louisiana Public Records Law, La. R.S. 44:1 et seq., and applies to all records maintained, possessed, or controlled by the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority (“GAEDA”). III. CUSTODIAN OF RECORDS The Executive Director of GAEDA, or his/her designee, shall serve as the Custodian of Records for purposes of public records requests. The Custodian is responsible for receiving, evaluating, responding to, and producing public records in accordance with applicable law and this policy. IV. SUBMISSION OF REQUESTS
  1. Public records requests must be submitted in writing by: o Email; o United States Mail; or o Hand delivery to GAEDA’s administrative office.
  2. Requests must reasonably describe the records sought so that responsive documents can be identified.
  3. GAEDA is not required to: o Create new records; o Answer questions; o Conduct legal or factual research; or o Compile data in a format not already maintained.
  • V. RESPONSE TIME
  1. In accordance with La. R.S. 44:32, GAEDA shall respond to a public records request within three (3) business days of receipt.
  2. The response may include: o Immediate production of records if available; o Written acknowledgment explaining why records are not immediately available and stating when they will be available; or o Written notice of any denial or partial denial, including citation to the applicable statutory exemption.
  3. When records are not immediately available due to volume, archival storage, relocation, or required legal review, GAEDA shall provide a reasonable estimated timeframe for availability. VI. VOLUMINOUS REQUESTS & INSTALLMENT PRODUCTION
  4. When a request seeks a large volume of records, records stored off-site, or records requiring extensive review, GAEDA may produce records in installments and on a rolling basis.
  5. Installment production shall occur as records are located, reviewed, and cleared for release.
  6. The use of installment production shall not be construed as a denial of access. VII. REVIEW FOR EXEMPTIONS
  7. All records shall be reviewed prior to production to determine whether any portion is exempt from disclosure under Louisiana or federal law.
  8. Exempt records or information may include, but are not limited to: o Attorney-client privileged communications; o Attorney work product; o Drafts, deliberative, or pre-decisional materials protected by law; o Proprietary, confidential, or trade secret information; o Security-related records; o Personnel records protected by statute; and o Any other records exempt under applicable law.
  9. Where feasible, exempt information shall be redacted, and non-exempt portions shall be produced.
  10. If records are withheld or redacted, GAEDA shall provide written notice citing the applicable statutory exemption. VIII. FORMAT OF RECORDS
  11. Records shall be provided in the format in which they are maintained, when practicable.
  12. Electronic copies are preferred when available and may be provided in lieu of paper copies. IX. FEES AND PREPAYMENT
  13. Fees. GAEDA may charge a reasonable fee for copies of public records not to exceed the actual cost of reproduction in accordance with La. R.S. 44:32(C). The fee for paper copies shall be $0.25 per page, which reflects GAEDA’s actual costs of reproduction, including paper, toner, and equipment use. Electronic records transmitted by email shall be provided at no charge. Where records are provided on physical media, the requester shall be responsible for the actual cost of the media.
  14. Prepayment. For voluminous requests or requests expected to incur significant reproduction costs, GAEDA may provide the requester with an estimated cost and require prepayment prior to reproduction. Production shall commence upon receipt of payment.
  • X. DISRUPTIVE OR ABUSIVE REQUESTS Nothing in this policy shall be interpreted to require GAEDA to comply with requests intended to disrupt essential operations, harass staff, or circumvent lawful exemptions. GAEDA shall nevertheless respond in good faith and in compliance with applicable law. XI. NO WAIVER OF PRIVILEGE The release of any public record pursuant to this policy shall not constitute a waiver of any applicable privilege or exemption with respect to other records or information. XII. EFFECTIVE DATE This policy shall take effect immediately upon adoption and shall apply to all public records requests received thereafter. .

Collected as a public record by Kingfish. Text is extracted verbatim from the official documents — open each “official PDF” for the source.

Get Kingfish delivered.

Investigative journalism in your inbox. Free, always — no paywall, no spam.

Already a member? Sign in.