A. It is the purpose of this section to establish reasonable fees and charges for the provision of access to or copies of open public records in the possession of the city to avoid the necessity of using general public funds of the city to subsidize special services and benefits to a record requester. Where a request has been made for inspection of any open public record which is readily available to the record custodian, there shall be no inspection fee charged to the requester.

B. Any fees for record inspection or for copies are due at the time the records, and/or copies thereof, are provided to the requester, unless the record custodian has demanded that prepayment of all or part of such fees be made. Fees are to be paid to the record custodian.

C. The record custodian shall notify the record requester, prior to commencing search of the record or copies thereof, of his or her estimate of the fee which will be made for honoring the request whenever such estimate exceeds ten dollars ($10.00).

D. The record custodian shall demand full prepayment of fees whenever his or her estimate for such fees exceeds ten dollars ($10.00).

E. The record custodian shall determine and assess a charge covering mailing and handling costs accrued in responding to request through the mail service.

F. A fee of fifty cents ($.50) per page shall be charged for photocopying public records on the city's photocopy equipment, such fee to cover the cost of labor, materials and equipment. For copying any public records which cannot be reproduced by the city's photocopying equipment, the requester shall be charged the actual cost to the city, including staff time, in reproducing such records. The record custodian may exercise his or her discretion to reduce or waive any inspection or copying fees when such is in the public interest.

G. No record inspection or copying charge shall be assessed against officers or employees of the city who makes requests which are reasonably necessary to the performance of their official duties. (Prior code § 1-910)