Hey, there! Log in / Register
State Police demanded $2.7 million for public records other states give out for free
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
we need foia for legitimate journalism purposes, case-by-case
but we also don't need to open the floodgates to the voracious sketchy surveillance companies. especially the awful one whose marketing affiliates and intermediaries advertise through spam, but not only that company.
The biggest problem with FOIA
is that the agency cannot ask why the records are being requested. And I agree, this "But I'm a taxpayer, therefore I'm automatically entitled to see these records for that reason alone" is utter BS.
And anyone who disagrees with that would be forced to spend a week or so responding to FOIA requests. Then they would have a better understanding of why the state charges people for the records.
Re: invoice public records
Re: invoice public records request
from: Daisy De la Rosa Central Staff Director daisy.delarosa at boston.gov
cc: Christine O'Donnell Compliance Director and Staff Counsel christine.odonnell at boston.gov
Please find attached a letter and invoice for your monthly requests of the City Council Stenographic records starting July 2015 (the 1st month of our new fiscal year).
When payment is received for the month, we will forward the stenographic records for that period.
With your payment, please include confirmation of what period the payment covers .
Thanks.
Daisy De La Rosa MPA, Staff Director
Boston City Council
Daisy.Delarosa at boston.gov
617-635-3625
BOSTONIA.
CONDITA A.D.
1630
SICUT PATRIBUS SIT DEUS NOBIS.
CIVITATIS REGIMINE DONATA A.D.1822.
[City Seal. Bostonia Condita AD. 1630.
Boston Founded in the Year of Our Lord 1630.
Sicut Patribus, Sit Deus Nobis.
God Be with Us as He Was with Our Fathers.
1 Kings VIII 57
Civitatis Regimine Donata AD. 1822.
City Status Granted by the Authority of the State in the Year of Our Lord 1822.]
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Boston_city_seal.png
July 16, 2015
This letter is in response to the number of public records requests that you make to the Boston City Council every year.
To date just this year, the City Council has processed over 40 public records requests, including for the stenographic record of the City Council meetings, which require the investment of time of multiple Central Staff members away from their day to day duties.
In addition we have received many additional emails from you related to your thoughts about how City Council should manage its public records or to request documents for public records not in our possession, all of which also require the attention of various staff to review, respond to appropriately, forward to the necessary people, and file.
Please be advised that pursuant to Massachusetts Public Records Law, the City of Boston follows a formula for the search, segregation, review and copying of each requested document, and the City Council may impose a per hour charge if needed relative to the processing time for the public records request based on the hourly wage of the employee/s capable of performing this task.
Starting July 1, 2015 you will be required to pay a min. of $20.00 a month for the expected processing of your requests of the weekly City Council Stenographic Records.
Please note that this is a reduced charge to process your stenographic records requests on a weekly basis.
Additional charges may be applied for any other future public records requests that you may make to the City Council throughout the fiscal year that require staff time.
Upon receipt of this payment, we will forward the Stenographic records for the covered time period.
Very truly yours,
Daisy De La Rosa, Central Staff Director daisy.delarosa at boston.gov
cc:
Christine O’Donnell, Compliance Director & Staff Counsel christine.odonnell at boston.gov
Bill Linehan, Council President http://www.cityofboston.gov/contact/?id=14
Yuleidy Valdez, Business Manager yuleidy.valdez at cityofboston.gov
BOSTON CITY COUNCIL
http://boston.gov/citycouncil
city.council at cityofboston.gov
One City Hall Square, 5th Floor
Boston MA 02201
phone 617-635-3040
fax 617-635-4203
Hey Don
Give us a legitimate reason why you actually need to see these records.
I know you're a NY yuppie
But there's a reason people call MA taxachusetes.
And that reason is ...
Because they're wrong.
the "Taxachusetts" thing
might have been accurate 30 years ago, but it isn't, any more, and hasn't been for a long time. Time to give it a rest.
It wasn't even accurate back then
MA was 36th out of 50 back then.
Boston 5th most expensive city in US
But its not just from taxes and fees. Democrats make energy expensive too.
http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/united-states
Yeah, definitely Democrats
It's amazing what an absolute hellhole Boston is and how absolutely nobody would want to live or work here and developers aren't putting up $37-million condos like they are in Wyoming and Idaho, so it's obviously Democrats to blame for how expensive housing is here.
You may want to do some research
The fastest growing cities are in red states.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/edgl45emig/introduction-4/
Fantastic
Some of those cities are enlightened blue oasis in the midst of dumbed down red deserts. The cities increasing fastest in population are also the cities that have to make the largest capital investments to build infrastructure that will support large population increases. Of course who benefits most will depend on the economic class. Poor and even lower middle class (assuming they are allowed to cross the state boundaries) will be treated as unimportant and unworthy of much concern while the people who will get the most govermental services will be the ones making the largest campaign contributions. The same people who will be best positioned to manipulate the taxes that have to rise to pay for the new infrastructure.
Just because something grows bigger has no bearing on its quality.
This is 2015, not 1980
http://www.cheatsheet.com/business/top-10-states-with-the-highest-taxes....
MA isn't even in the top 10 of any tax survey done of high tax states. Of the New England states, MA has the LOWEST tax burden. CT, VT, and Maine all rank in the top 10 highest tax burden ranking.
MA is the economic engine of New England (population around 14.5 million), primarily because of Metro Boston. Metro Boston is in the top ten list for largest GMP (Gross Metropolitan Product), it's larger than most countries in the world.
NY state and California have by far the worse tax burden, MUCH worse than MA. Even states like Nebraska and Iowa have much worse tax burdens, and rank in the top 10 list.
Deflecting and multiple enquiries at Boston City Council.
Multiple enquiries wouldn't be necessary if there weren't deflecting at Boston City Council.
For example, a request for the Stenographic Record could suffice for all forthcoming Public Meetings with the understanding Public Meetings are of regular interest !
Digitize online a) a searchable version of the Stenographic Record of Public Meetings of Boston City Council
and b) the Pending Council Matters listing known as the Green Sheets.
Green Sheets include a list of all 30 and 60 day orders, matters assigned for further action, matters on the table, unanswered 17F Orders, Home Rule Petitions not responded to by the Mayor, and a listing of all Matters currently assigned to Committees.
17F Information Request. The City Charter's 17F provision authorizes the Council to request from the Mayor "specific information on any municipal matter within its jurisdiction" and for the Mayor or a Representative to appear in a week to answer these questions.
SECTION 17F. Requests for Specific Information. The city council at any time may request from the Mayor specific information on any Municipal Matter within its jurisdiction, and may request his presence to answer written questions relating thereto at a meeting to be held not earlier than one week from the date of the receipt of said questions, in which case the Mayor shall personally, or through a Head of a Department or a Member of a Board, attend such meeting and publicly answer all such questions.
The person so attending shall not be obliged to answer questions relating to any other Matter.
The Mayor at any time may attend and address the City Council in person or through the Head of a Department, or a Member of a Board, upon such subject as he may desire. [Acts of 1951, c. 376, s. 1.17F]
http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/actsResolves/1951/1951acts0376.pdf
http://goo.gl/3a1oQS
http://www.cityofboston.gov /images_documents/2007%20the%20charter%20draft20%20(final%20draft1%20with%20jumps)_tcm3-16428.pdf
Public Records,Foima
I can't believe I read the entire and all attacked articles. I need a life. The press needs access period
Everyone needs access
This is our fucking city™. These are our records.
As other have said, if they put a majority of this information online in an automated way then there will be no requests to process.
Unapproved Draft Minutes of most recent Public Meetings.
In the spirit of Open Government Boston City Councilors could also release online a) the Stenograph Record of Public Meetings of Boston City Council and release online b) the Minutes of Public Meetings all City of Boston Boards/Commissions
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/pre/prepdf/guide.pdf
In the spirit of Open Government Cambridge City Council could release online unapproved Draft Minutes of the most recent Public Meetings of all City of Cambridge Boards/Commissions
http://www.mass.gov/ago/government-resources/open-meeting-law/attorney-g...
"The Department of Children
"The Department of Children and Families took 18 months to respond to a Globe request for legal claims against the agency after it lost track of a Fitchburg preschooler who was later found dead. DCF only provided the records this month, when a reporter told the agency he planned to write about the delay."
So we have what, 16-and-a-half months left until someone figures out who poor Baby Doe is?