Dear Keansburg Borough,

Please accept this electronic request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. 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.

Records requested:

Pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA), N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., I respectfully request access to and copies of records specifically related to Ritesh Shah’s business affiliations within the Borough of Keansburg for the period of January 1, 2015 through the present (2025).

This request includes, but is not limited to:

1. Business licenses, permits, and approvals issued by the Borough to Ritesh Shah or to any business entity, LLC, corporation, or trade name in which Ritesh Shah is identified as an owner, applicant, partner, officer, or affiliate.

2. Business applications, filings, renewals, or amendments submitted by or on behalf of Ritesh Shah or any business entity with which he is affiliated.

3. Meeting minutes, resolutions, correspondence, or memoranda maintained by the Borough that reference Ritesh Shah, either individually or as a representative/affiliate of a business entity.

4. Copies of Borough ordinances or resolutions that correspond to or authorized approvals of businesses with which Ritesh Shah is affiliated.

5. Any records that identify the business names, trade names, LLCs, or corporate entities in which Ritesh Shah is associated for purposes of conducting business in Keansburg.

My preferred delivery method for response(s) to this request is by E-mail as attachments. Please confirm you have received this request. If you are not the custodian of records, please forward my request to that person and provide their email address to me for future reference.

Yours faithfully,
P.McDuffy

Dear Jo-Ann O'Brien,

Thank you for your response to my OPRA request. I appreciate your time and attention in processing it.

However, I must respectfully object to the proposed $95.23 fee for the retrieval of archived records. Under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(b) and (c), public agencies may only charge:

1. The actual cost of duplication (for example, $0.05 per page for letter size or $0.07 per page for legal size copies), or
2. A special service charge only if fulfilling the request requires extraordinary time and effort beyond routine document retrieval.

Routine search and retrieval of archived files does not qualify as an “extraordinary service.” The Government Records Council (GRC) has consistently held that agencies cannot charge for staff time spent locating or retrieving records unless such special circumstances apply.

If the Borough believes this situation qualifies as an extraordinary request, please provide a written explanation citing the specific legal basis under N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(c) and describing why the retrieval process is extraordinary. Otherwise, I respectfully request that the Borough process my OPRA request without the additional fee.

If additional time is needed to complete the search, I am willing to grant a reasonable extension in lieu of any service charge.

Thank you again for your cooperation and professionalism. Please confirm receipt of this message and advise how you wish to proceed.

Sincerely,
Patrick