A Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association report found widespread inconsistencies in how local governments responded to requests for public information, the organization announced last week.
Governments in the state charged anywhere from 10 cents to 50 cents per page to copy public records. Fees for searches beyond two hours ranged from $12.75 to $50 per hour. Some waived fees entirely; others charged from $10 for copying fees to $7,560 for search and copy fees.
The press association — of which The Baltimore Sun is a member — began investigating in September to see how many state Public Information Act requests agencies get each year; how the requests are handled, including how many are denied; and how much the agencies spend and charge while fulfilling the requests.
More than a quarter of the local governments contacted failed to respond at all, the association said. Of the 134 that did, only nine maintained and sent logs of the requests and outcomes, including how much was spent and charged, and whether the request was denied. Thirty-five of the 1,484 requests provided from fiscal year 2013 were outright denials.
Nine of the responding agencies provided information on associated legal fees, and one claimed "attorney-client privilege" in denying it.