Appointed Officials Directory as of 10/1/2024
Charlie Kratovil made this OPRA request to Old Bridge Township as part of a batch sent to 37 authorities Automatic anti-spam measures are in place for this older request. Please let us know if a further response is expected or if you are having trouble responding.
Dear Old Bridge Township,
Please accept this electronic request for public records made under the OPRA and the common law right of access. I am a journalist with New Brunswick Today and Trenton Makes News, and require the records for my reporting on New Jersey's local governments, school districts, and autonomous authorities. I am not required to fill out an official form or use a particular software platform to submit my request per NJSA 47:1A-6(f), which states that an email from a requestor including all of the information required on the adopted form shall suffice in place of a completed form as a valid government record request.
I HAVE NOT been convicted of any indictable offense under the laws of New Jersey, any other state, or the United States.
I WILL NOT use the requested government records for a commercial purpose.
I AM NOT seeking records in connection with a legal proceeding.
Please provide a copy of your current directory of appointed officials, as of today, 10/1/2024, including at least the following information for every authority, board and commission:
(a) the name of the authority, board, or commission;
(b) the number of members or positions;
(c) a list of currently appointed members, along with their terms of office;
(d) vacancies;
(e) general frequency of meetings; and
(f) the appointing authority and the enabling statute, ordinance, or resolution, if any.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as an attachment.
If no current directory exists, or if the directory is missing some of the above information, be guided by NJSA 40A:9-9.2, which requires the above directory to be maintained on an ongoing basis and to include, at a minimum, the information that I am presently requesting.
Please confirm you have received this request, and feel free to contact me at 732-993-9697 if I can be helpful in clarifying this request. Thanks very much and have a nice day.
Yours faithfully,
Charlie Kratovil
OPRA-Req-24-1402
Date Received: 10/2/2024
Status: Received
Applicant: Charlie Kratovil
Information Requested: Please provide a copy of your current
directory of appointed officials, as of today, 10/1/2024,
including at least the following information for every authority,
board and commission:
(a) the name of the authority, board, or commission;
(b) the number of members or positions;
(c) a list of currently appointed members, along with their terms
of office;
(d) vacancies;
(e) general frequency of meetings; and
(f) the appointing authority and the enabling statute, ordinance,
or resolution, if any.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by
E-mail as an attachment.
If no current directory exists, or if the directory is missing
some of the above information, be guided by NJSA 40A:9-9.2, which
requires the above directory to be maintained on an ongoing basis
and to include, at a minimum, the information that I am presently
requesting.
Please see the attached docuent responsive to your request.
Regarding item E-
1. This OPRA request is intended to circumvent the discovery
process, which is not OPRA's intent. Additionally, OPRA is not
intended as a research tool litigants may use to force government
officials to identify and siphon useful information. Under OPRA,
agencies are required to disclose only "identifiable" governmental
documents not otherwise exempt. Wholesale requests for general
information which have to be collated, analyzed and compiled by
the entity are not required. This governmental custodian is not
required to conduct research, analyze, collate, compile and/or
correlate data from existing government records. A blanket request
for all documents is not a document request pursuant to OPRA and
existing case law. MAG Entm't , LLC v. Div of ABC, 375 N.J. Super.
534,546-549 (App. Div. 2005), "under OPRA, agencies are required
to disclose only 'identifiable' government records and not
otherwise exempt.. In short, OPRA does not countenance open-ended
searches of agency's files" Id. (emphasis added). Bent v. Stafford
Police Dep't. 381 N.J. Super. 30,37 (App. Div. 2005), N.J.
Builders Ass'n v. N.J. Council on Affordable Hous., 390 N.J.
Super. 166, 180 (App. Div. 2007); Schuler v. Borough of
Bloomsbury, GRC Complaint No. 2007-151 (February 2009).
2. A request for a "file" "all" "any and all" etc. is invalid
because it represents a blanket request for a class of various,
unidentifiable records and constitutes a broad and unclear
request. See Morgano v Essex Cnty. Prosecutors's Office, GRC
Complaint No. 2007-190 (February 2008); Nunley v N.J. State Parole
Bd., GRC Complaint No. 2013 -335 (July 2014); Redden v. Cape May
Cnty. Prosecutor's Office GRC Complaint No. 2007-206 (September
2009); Bragg v. N.J. Dep't of Corrections, GRC Complaint No.
2010-145 (March2011); Bradley-Williams v. Atlantic Cnty. Jail, GRC
Complaint No. 2011-232 (December 2012); Torian v. N.J. State
Parole Bd., GRC Complaint No. 2013-245 (June 2014)
Spatial Data Logic 2021
OPRA-Req-24-1402
Date Received: 10/2/2024
Status: Completed
Date Completed: 10/11/2024
Applicant: Charlie Kratovil
Information Requested: Please provide a copy of your current
directory of appointed officials, as of today, 10/1/2024,
including at least the following information for every authority,
board and commission:
(a) the name of the authority, board, or commission;
(b) the number of members or positions;
(c) a list of currently appointed members, along with their terms
of office;
(d) vacancies;
(e) general frequency of meetings; and
(f) the appointing authority and the enabling statute, ordinance,
or resolution, if any.
My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by
E-mail as an attachment.
If no current directory exists, or if the directory is missing
some of the above information, be guided by NJSA 40A:9-9.2, which
requires the above directory to be maintained on an ongoing basis
and to include, at a minimum, the information that I am presently
requesting.
Please see the attached document responsive to your request.
Regarding item E- most boards and authorities meet 1 time a month
except Council and Planning And Zoning Boards met 2 times a month
1. This OPRA request is intended to circumvent the discovery
process, which is not OPRA's intent. Additionally, OPRA is not
intended as a research tool litigants may use to force government
officials to identify and siphon useful information. Under OPRA,
agencies are required to disclose only "identifiable" governmental
documents not otherwise exempt. Wholesale requests for general
information which have to be collated, analyzed and compiled by
the entity are not required. This governmental custodian is not
required to conduct research, analyze, collate, compile and/or
correlate data from existing government records. A blanket request
for all documents is not a document request pursuant to OPRA and
existing case law. MAG Entm't , LLC v. Div of ABC, 375 N.J. Super.
534,546-549 (App. Div. 2005), "under OPRA, agencies are required
to disclose only 'identifiable' government records and not
otherwise exempt.. In short, OPRA does not countenance open-ended
searches of agency's files" Id. (emphasis added). Bent v. Stafford
Police Dep't. 381 N.J. Super. 30,37 (App. Div. 2005), N.J.
Builders Ass'n v. N.J. Council on Affordable Hous., 390 N.J.
Super. 166, 180 (App. Div. 2007); Schuler v. Borough of
Bloomsbury, GRC Complaint No. 2007-151 (February 2009).
2. A request for a "file" "all" "any and all" etc. is invalid
because it represents a blanket request for a class of various,
unidentifiable records and constitutes a broad and unclear
request. See Morgano v Essex Cnty. Prosecutors's Office, GRC
Complaint No. 2007-190 (February 2008); Nunley v N.J. State Parole
Bd., GRC Complaint No. 2013 -335 (July 2014); Redden v. Cape May
Cnty. Prosecutor's Office GRC Complaint No. 2007-206 (September
2009); Bragg v. N.J. Dep't of Corrections, GRC Complaint No.
2010-145 (March2011); Bradley-Williams v. Atlantic Cnty. Jail, GRC
Complaint No. 2011-232 (December 2012); Torian v. N.J. State
Parole Bd., GRC Complaint No. 2013-245 (June 2014)
If your request for access to a government record has been denied
or unfilled within the seven (7) business days required by law,
you have a right to challenge the decision by the Township of Old
Bridge to deny access. At your option, you may either institute a
proceeding in the Superior Court of New Jersey or file a complaint
with the Government Records Council (GRC) by completing the Denial
of Access Complaint Form. You may contact the GRC by toll-free
telephone at 866-850-0511, by mail at P.O. Box 819, Trenton, NJ,
08625, by e-mail at [email address], or at their web site at
www.state.nj.us/grc. The GRC can also answer other questions about
the law. All questions regarding complaints filed in Superior
Court should be directed to the Court Clerk in your County.
Spatial Data Logic 2021