21 Miss. Code. R. 201-2.5 - Inspection of records

Consistent with other demands, the Ethics Commission shall promptly provide space to inspect public records. No member of the public may remove a document from the viewing area or disassemble or alter any document. The requestor shall indicate which documents he or she wishes the public body to copy.

The requestor must claim or review the assembled records within thirty days of the Ethics Commissions notification to him or her that the records are available for inspection or copying. The Ethics Commission will notify the requestor in writing of this requirement and inform the requestor that he or she should contact the public body to make arrangements to claim or review the records. If the requestor or a representative of the requestor fails to claim or review the records within the thirty-day period or make other arrangements, the Ethics Commission may close the request and refile the assembled records. Other public records requests can be processed ahead of a subsequent request by the same person for the same or almost identical records, which can be processed as a new request.

A. Providing copies of records. After inspection is complete, the public records officer or designee shall make the requested copies or arrange for copying.

B. Providing records in installments. When the request is for a large number of records, the public records officer or designee will provide access for inspection and copying in installments, if he or she reasonably determines that it would be practical to provide the records in that way. If, within thirty days, the requestor fails to inspect the entire set of records or one or more of the installments, the public records officer or designee may stop searching for the remaining records and close the request.

C. Completion of inspection. When the inspection of the requested records is complete and all requested copies are provided, the public records officer or designee will indicate that the Ethics Commission has completed a diligent search for the requested records and made any located nonexempt records available for inspection.

D. Closing withdrawn or abandoned request. When the requestor either withdraws the request or fails to fulfill his or her obligations to inspect the records or pay the deposit or final payment for the requested copies, the public records officer will close the request and indicate to the requestor that the Ethics Commission has closed the request.

E. Later discovered documents. If, after the Ethics Commission has informed the requestor that it has provided all available records, the Ethics Commission becomes aware of additional responsive documents existing at the time of the request, it will promptly inform the requestor of the additional documents and provide them on an expedited basis.

Notes

21 Miss. Code. R. 201-2.5

Section 25-61-5, Miss. Code of 1972.