Sheriff's Department will increase copy fees

By Tim Damos / News Republic

Despite the protest of a few Sauk County supervisors, the sheriff's department will charge more for copies following action by the county board Tuesday night.

Copies for documents beyond three pages will now cost 50 cents, instead of 25 cents.

"What you're doing here is you're putting another level on freedom of information," said supervisor Robert Sinklair of Prairie du Sac, a law enforcement committee member who voted against the increase. "The taxpayers of this county are already paying for this. Do you want to just keep making (records) less accessible?"

Sheriff's Department officials had said the increase was due to "the increased costs of paper, copier purchase, usage and maintenance and staff costs for time spent preparing the records for release."

Supervisor Judy Ashford of Merrimac said 50 cents per page seemed excessive.

"As a town clerk I never did that," Ashford said.

The state Department of Justice says copy fees should be about 15 cents per page.

The DOJ's 2008 open records compliance guide says "anything in excess of 25 cents may be suspect."

Supervisors voted 20-10 to allow the fee increase.