New Jersey Judge Upholds Copying Fee for Outsourced Records

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A New Jersey judge said government agencies can charge a fee for making available public records maintained by a vendor, if there is a real cost involved. The City of Hackensack keeps paper payroll records. A vendor who handles payroll processing, has the records in electronic format. The North Jersey Media Group asked for electronic copies and the city said it would cost $255. Judge Sybil R. Moses said the media group could take the records in paper, as maintained by the city, or pay the cost, as long as the vendor made no profit on the transaction. (8/1/06)