[Adopted 4-20-1995 by Ord. No. 95-3 (Ch.
74, Art. I, of the 1974 Township Code)
In accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A.
47:1A-5, all records which are required by law to be made, maintained
or kept on file by any board, department or official of the Township
shall be deemed to be public record. Every citizen of the state shall
have the right to inspect such records during the regular business
hours maintained by the custodian of records.
A.
For purposes of this section, a public record is any
written memorial made by a public officer in the exercise of public
function or office which is not otherwise required by law to be made,
maintained or kept on file. Public records shall be made available
for inspection on a case-by-case basis upon review of each such request
by the Township Committee. In determining whether to make the public
records available for inspection, the Committee shall determine whether
there is a legitimate public interest in the confidentiality of the
records sought. The Committee's inquiry shall include but shall not
be limited to the following factors:
(1)
The extent to which disclosure would impede Township
functions by discouraging citizens from providing information to the
Township.
(2)
The effect disclosure may have upon persons who have
given information and whether information was provided in reliance
upon identities not being disclosed.
(3)
The extent to which any Township self-evaluation or
improvement program or other decision-making process would be chilled
by disclosure.
(4)
The degree to which the records sought contain factual
data as opposed to evaluative reports of policy makers.
(5)
The extent to which any disciplinary or investigatory
proceeding would be jeopardized by disclosure of the records.
B.
The Township Committee may provide public records
in a redacted form, editing out any privileged or confidential subject
matter.
In addition to those records that are required
to be kept confidential by federal and state statute or regulation,
executive order of the Governor or resolution of the State Assembly
or Senate, the following records shall not be deemed public records
subject to review or inspection:
A.
Personnel evaluations.
B.
Fingerprints, cards, plates, photographs and similar
criminal investigation records made and maintained by the Oxford Township
Police Department, except as follows:
(1)
Where a crime has been reported, but no arrest yet
made, information as to the type of crime, time, location and type
of weapon, if any.
(2)
If an arrest has been made, information as to the
name, address and age of any victims, unless there has not been sufficient
opportunity for notification of any next of kin of any victim of injury
and/or death to any such victim or where the release of names of any
victim would be contrary to existing law or court rule. In signing
on the release of such information, the safety of the victim and the
victim's family and the integrity of any ongoing investigation shall
be considered.
(3)
If an arrest has been made, information as to the
defendant's name, age, residence, occupation, marital status and similar
background information, unless the release of such information is
contrary to existing law or court rule.
C.
Unapproved minutes of any meeting of the Township
Committee.
D.
Except when authorized by a person in interest, personnel
or pension records of an individual employed by the Township, except
that the following shall be public:
(1)
The individual's name, title, position, salary, payroll
record, length of service, date of separation and amount and type
of pension.
E.
Minutes, reports, documents and other materials generated
for or as part of an issue discussed in an executive session of the
Township Committee until such time as the Township Committee determines
to make the issue public.
[Amended 8-16-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-13; 7-21-2010 by Ord. No.
2010-04]
A.
Copy fees for records requested under the Open Public Records Act
(OPRA).[1]
(1)
Reproduced paper copies for letter-sized pages and smaller shall
be provided at $0.05 per page.
(2)
Reproduced paper copies for legal-sized pages and larger shall be
provided at $0.07 per page. Oversized documents requested to be reproduced
in original size will be billed at the actual out-of-pocket cost to
the Township to have the document reproduced by an outside service
and/or the Township's professional, as appropriate.
(3)
Audiotapes, CDs, and other nonpaper, digital mediums shall be billed
at actual cost.
(4)
There shall be no charge for e-mailed or faxed records, provided
the requested records can be delivered in that format without modification
or damage.
[1]
Editor's Note: See N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq.
B.
Non-OPRA copy fees.
|
Type of Record
|
Fee
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Motor vehicle accident reports (mailed)
|
$5
| ||
|
Motor vehicle accident reports (walk-in)
| |||
|
Pages 1 through 10, each
|
$0.50
| ||
|
Pages 11 through 20, each
|
$0.25
| ||
|
All pages over 20, each
|
$0.10
| ||
|
Offense reports
| |||
|
First 2 pages
|
$5
| ||
|
In excess of 2 pages, each
|
$1
| ||
|
All other reports
| |||
|
First 2 pages
|
$5
| ||
|
In excess of 2 pages, each
|
$1
| ||
|
Discovery fee, Police Department
| |||
|
Minimum per request
|
$20
| ||
|
Any New Jersey State Police case
|
$10
| ||
|
Tapes
| |||
|
Dictaphone recorder
|
$130
| ||
|
DWI (copy)
|
$25
| ||
|
Cassette (copy)
|
$10
| ||
|
Pictures from accidents, per photo, plus processing fees
|
$10
| ||
|
Zoning/Planning Ordinance, per ordinance
|
$20
| ||
|
Zoning Map
|
$3
| ||
|
All other documents
| |||
|
Pages 1 through 10, each
|
$0.75
| ||
|
Pages 11 through 20, each
|
$0.50
| ||
|
All pages over 20
|
$0.25
| ||
|
Review of tape recordings, per hour or portion thereof
|
$25
| ||
A.
Requests to inspect, copy or purchase copies of all
public records pursuant to this article, with the exception of police
records, shall be made, in writing, to the Township Clerk. The Township
Committee shall review the request to determine whether or not the
information may be made available for public inspection, and the Township
Clerk shall determine all applicable fees. Copies shall not be provided
until all fees have been paid in full.
B.
Requests for accident reports and other police records
shall be made, in writing, to the Oxford Township Chief of Police.
The Chief of Police shall review the request to determine whether
or not the information may be made available for public inspection
consistent with this article. All fees shall be determined by the
Oxford Township Police Department and paid to the Township Clerk.
