A.
Cost of
production of records.
Section
25-61-7(1),
Miss. Code of 1972, reads as follows: "Except as provided in subsection (2) of
this section, each public body may establish and collect fees reasonably
calculated to reimburse it for, and in no case to exceed, the actual cost of
searching, reviewing and/or duplicating and, if applicable, mailing copies of
public records." The following table sets out MDHS Public Records reimbursement
rates.
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8 1/2" x 11" ..$.15 per page (black and white) $.52
per page (color copies)
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8 1/2" x 14" ..$.50 per page (black and white) $.87
per page (color copies)
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11" x 17" ..$.75 per page (black and white) $.1.12
per page (color copies)
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Electronic copies on flash drive provided by
MDHS:
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16GB ..$11.38
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(actual cost of flash drive only)
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32GB ..$13.13
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......................................
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64GB ..$20.39
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......................................
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128GB ...$33.16
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......................................
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256GB ...$53.04
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Actual time of lowest paid employee who could access
and or compile and produce the records will be charged for: copying, scanning,
research, reproduction, technical or professional assistance, automated records
search, and legal review if necessary.
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Actual costs will be charged for: packaging and
postage, any shipping charges, or reproduction at an outside print facility if
requested and/or approved by the requester.
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1) An
explanation of standard commercial pricing used to determine this charge is
available from the Public Records Officer if requested.
2) Before beginning to make the copies, the
requestor must pre-pay all reasonably estimated costs of copying all the
records selected by the requestor. The Public Records Officer or Designee may
also require the payment of the remainder of the copying costs before providing
all the records in an installment before providing that installment. MDHS will
not charge sales tax when it makes copies of public records.
3) When the time to compile the records will
likely be more than one hour, MDHS will notify the requestor of the estimated
cost to obtain the requested records prior to compiling the documents. The
requestor will be required to reimburse MDHS for reasonable costs sufficient to
cover the actual expenses incurred by MDHS to furnish the requested
information. Payment must be made in advance of the receipt of documents. If
the actual cost is higher than the estimate, the requestor will be required to
pay the difference before receiving the information. If the actual cost is
lower than the estimate, MDHS will refund the difference if a deposit is made
before the records are compiled.
4)
Please note that the following types of public records requests usually require
additional research and staff time and can have significant costs associated
with filling the request:
a. Requests for
very large volumes of materials;
b.
Requests that are too broad or unspecific in scope
c. Requests for information that have already
been archived; and
d. Requests for
documents that are unusual in size.
B.
Cost for electronic records.
The costs of electronic copies of records shall be determined on a case by case
basis for information on a flash drive. The actual cost of the flash drive plus
research and redaction time will be included. The cost of scanning existing
MDHS paper or other non-electronic records is actual time (per hour) it takes
for completion of scanning. There will be no charge for e-mailing electronic
records to a requestor, unless another costs applies such as a scanning fee or
system costs allowed under Section 25-61- 7(2), Miss. Code of 1972.
C.
Cost of mailing. MDHS may
also charge actual costs of mailing, including the cost of the shipping
container.
D.
Charge for
searching, reviewing and redacting. The actual cost for searching for
and reviewing and, if necessary, redacting exempt information from public
records shall be based upon the hourly rate of compensation for the lowest paid
agency employee qualified to perform the task, which shall be multiplied by the
actual time to complete the task.
E.
Payment. Payment may be made
by certified check, money order, or corporate check made payable to "State of
Mississippi Treasurer" for the amount specified. No cash, personal checks, or
credit/debit cards can be accepted.
F. MDHS requires payment in
advance for all costs before providing copies or access to
records.
