Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required.
Title
Amending Section 3.70 of the Madison General Ordinances related to Public Records to align with current technology, City practices, and State law.
Body
DRAFTER’S ANALYSIS: This revision makes necessary change to the Public Records Ordinance to align with current technology and City practices. It also carves out an exception that allows the Madison Police Department to charge for video redaction in some limited circumstances, due to a change in State law.
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The Common Council of the City of Madison do hereby ordain as follows:
1. Section 3.70 entitled “Public Records” of the Madison General Ordinances is amended as follows:
“3.70 PUBLIC RECORDS
(1) Declaration of Policy. A representative government is dependent upon an informed electorate and therefore it is declared to be the public policy of the City of Madison that all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of their government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them. Further, providing persons with such information is an essential function of a representative government and an integral part of the routine duties of officers and employees whose responsibility it is to provide such information. To that end, this ordinance shall be construed in every instance with a presumption of complete public access, consistent with the conduct of governmental business. The denial of public access generally is contrary to the public interest and only in an exceptional case may access be denied. Therefore, the City of Madison does hereby adopt and incorporate, as though fully set forth herein, the provisions of Wisconsin's Public Records laws, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31 through 19.39, inclusive of all future amendments and revisions to such sections of the Wisconsin Statutes. The following provisions are intended to supp...
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