Official Information, Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act

That pursuant to Section 13 of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, Taupo District Council hereby resolves to establish the following policy relevant to the charging for requests for official information with such policy to be effective from 1 July 2000:

For any request made for personal information about and by the individual concerned such request will not be subject to any charge.

For all other requests where the aggregate amount of staff time spent in actioning the request exceeds one half hour then the basis of charging is as follows:

• an initial charge of $38 GST inclusive for the first chargeable half hour or part thereof
• an additional charge of $38 GST inclusive for each additional half hour.
• In all other cases where repeated requests are made in respect of a common subject in any four week period, requests after the first shall be aggregated for charging purposes.
• Photocopying on standard A4 paper where the total number of pages is in excess of 20 pages shall be charged out as follows:
  -20 cents GST inclusive for each page after the first 20 pages.
• All other charges incurred shall be fixed at an amount which recovers the actual costs involved:
• producing a document by use of a computer or other like equipment
  reproducing a film, video or audio recording
• arranging for the requester to hear or view an audio or visual recording
  providing a copy of any map, plan or other document larger than A4 size.
• Where the free threshold is only exceeded by a small margin it is a matter of discretion whether any fee should be charged, and if so, how much.
• A charge may be modified or waived at the discretion of the Chief Executive upon the advice of the relevant Divisional Manager where payment might cause the requester financial hardship, where remission or reduction of the charge would facilitate good relations with the public or assist the Council in its work.
• The charge may not include any allowance for:
  -locating and retrieving information which is not where it ought to be
  -time spent deciding whether or not access should be allowed and in what form.
• A deposit may be required where the charge is likely to exceed $60 or where some assurance or payment is required to avoid waste of resources.
• A record shall be kept of any costs incurred.   Where a charge is to be made, the requester is to be notified of the method of calculating the charge beforehand, and this fact is to be noted on the appropriate file.
  

Corporate Services Committee, 17 July 2000

Amended

District Evaluation & Audit Committee, 20 February 2006