Clinton Township Trustee Thinks FOIA Requests Take Too Long

CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI — It takes only minutes to photocopy a public record, yet members of the public who request information under the Freedom of Information Act often have to wait for more than a week to get the information.

Clinton Township Trustee Paul Gieleghem thinks that's excessive, The Macomb Daily reported.

“It takes about five minutes to photocopy a document, yet when some of our constituents was seeking specific information, they were made to wait five days, and then told they’d have to wait for a 10-day extension,” he said. “I am proposing we tighten this law at the local level.”

Township Clerk Kim Meltzer, whose office processes the majority of FOIA requests, says there is more to it than that.

Under Michigan law, government agencies must respond to FOIA requests within five days, but may seek a 10-day extension. Clerks like Meltzer say the flexibility is necessary because government agencies are sometimes overwhelmed by requests for information, or may need to get a legal opinion on whether the material can be released.

» For more on this story, go to The Macomb Daily.

Image credit: Kate Ter Haar via Flickr / Creative Commons