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Town of Highlands, NY
Orange County
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Table of Contents
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[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Highlands 11-12-1974. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The following rules and regulations shall apply to the public inspection and copying of such town records as are subject to public inspection by law and shall continue in effect until altered, changed, amended or superseded by further resolution of this Town Board, or by action of the Committee on Open Government established by law.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
Such records shall be made available for inspection at the office of the town officer or employee charged with the custody and keeping thereof.
Such records shall be made available for public inspection on regular business days between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., if readily available. If not readily available, written request specifically describing records to which access is desired shall be filed with the town officer or employee cleared with the custody and keeping thereof, who shall produce same within 48 hours of such request. Such written request shall be on the form prescribed by the State Comptroller. If the town officer or employee charged with the custody and keeping of the record elects or refuses access, he shall submit to requestor written statement of his reason therefor within 48 hours of such request.
A. 
Copies. The town officer or employee charged with the custody and keeping of the record shall upon request make a copy or copies of any record subject to such inspection upon a payment of a fee of $0.25 per page. If a copy or copies are desired thereof by the requestor, the town officer or employee charged with the custody and keeping of the record shall make the same and mail or deliver the same to the requestor within one week depending on the volume and number of copies requested.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
B. 
Certification. Any town officer or employee charged with the custody and keeping of any such record shall upon request, certify a copy of a document or record prepared pursuant to the provisions of the preceding subsection upon payment of a fee of $0.25.
To prevent an unwarranted invasion of a personal privacy, the Committee on Open Government may promulgate guidelines for the deletion of identifying details for specified records which are to be made available. In the absence of such guidelines, an agency or municipality may delete identifying details when it makes records available. An unwarranted invasion of personal privacy includes, but shall not be limited to:
A. 
Disclosure of such personal matters as may have been reported in confidence to an agency or municipality and which are not relevant or essential to the ordinary work of the agency or municipality.
B. 
Disclosure of employment, medical or credit histories or personal references of applicants for employment, except such records may be disclosed when the applicant has provided a written release permitting such disclosure.
C. 
Disclosure of items involving the medical or personal records of a client or patient in a hospital or medical facility.
D. 
The sale or release of lists of names and addresses in the possession of any department if such lists would be used for private commercial or fund-raising purposes.
E. 
Disclosure of items of a personal nature when disclosure would result in economic or personal hardship to the subject party and such records are not relevant or essential to the ordinary work of the department.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
In addition to such requirements as may be imposed by this chapter or by Chapter 578 of the Laws of 1974, each board, commission or other group of the town having more than one member shall maintain and make available for public inspection a record of the final votes of each member in every agency proceeding in which he votes.
[Added 2-14-1989]
A. 
Records Retention and Disposition Schedule MU-1, issued pursuant to Article 57-A of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, and containing legal minimum retention periods for municipal government records, is hereby adopted for use by all municipal officers in disposing of municipal government records listed therein.
B. 
In accordance with Article 57-A:
(1) 
Only those records will be disposed of that are described in Records Retention and Disposition Schedule MU-1 after they have met the minimum retention period prescribed therein.
(2) 
Only those records will be disposed of that do not have sufficient administrative, fiscal, legal or historical value to merit retention beyond established time periods.