HomeMy WebLinkAboutNB 2 TAPES OF MEETINGS 6-20-88NEW BUSINESS
NO. 2
6-20-88
FROM:
$ UaJ ECT:
June 15, 1988 . 'I ntel-- ¢ om
HONO~LE ~YOR & ME~E~ OF THE CITY COUNCIL ~,, ,~,'-E-~.~ .... ~i~
CI~. A~~Y ~ ~2~ ~.~,~ , . ~
T~ES ~ T~SCRIPTS OF MEETINGS ~~~'{ ''~,, " ~ .... /r~ ~' /
A question has been raised about the availability of tapes and/or
transcripts of public meetings Of the City Council and Planning
Commission.
Records of the City's public meetings including minutes and tapes
are public records,-and as such must be made available to the
public upon request and payment for the costs of production.. In
the case of recorded tapes, the City can either make a copy of
the tape available (through use of a fast tape duplicating
machine in the Police Department) or can provide a typed
transcript of the tape. Making a duplicate tape is relatively
inexpensive. Preparation of a transcript is difficult, time-
consuming, expensive and inteferes with the performance es
ordinary duties in the City Clerk's office. The cost of 'the
..
duplicated tape and the cost of preparing a transcript may be
charged to the. person making the request. T-apes and transcripts
of meetings are both often less than perfect records of what was
said inasmuch .as ~7ot everything that is said is perfectly clear
and there may be gaps in what may be clearly understood from the
tape. Unless a great deal of time and care is taken to make
complete and accurate sense of the transcript, the typed
transcript may also be less than fully complete and/or accurate.
However, the City is bound by the Public Record Act to make
either the tape or a transcript available.
Probably the preferable procedure is to provide that duplicate
tapes will be made available, but not transcripts. As an
alternative, the City could set the fees for a transcript high
enough to cover the full cost of preparation, which would be
substantial, so that most people might choose to purchase the
tape.
The Council should set reasonable fees for whatever is to be
provided.
/z~AMES G. ROURKE'
?City Attorney
JGR:se:D: 06/07/88 (788)
cc: WH
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