We received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request (OPRA REQUEST #2018-07-13) on 7-15-18. The official Records Custodian, Ben Angeli, received your OPRA request on 7-23-18. As such, the seven (7) business day deadline to respond to your request is 8-1-18.

Your OPRA request sought access to the following:

Copies of 2014 Community Development Block Grant Applications for the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

Your request requires additional time beyond the seven (7) business days to fulfill because of the size of the request. OPRA allows custodians to seek extensions of time pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5.i. Specifically, OPRA states that, “the requestor shall be advised by the custodian when the record can be made available. If the record is not made available by that time, access shall be deemed denied.”

Your request requires an extension of time until 8-27-18.

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 [insert name of Agency] 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.

Ben Angeli

Municipal Clerk

Borough of Stratford

307 Union Avenue

Stratford, New Jersey 08084

Phone 856-783-0600

Fax 856-783-7949

________________________________________
From: John Allen [[OPRA #2159 email]]
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2018 9:23 AM
To: Angeli, Ben
Subject: Open Public Records Act request - Community Development Block Grant Application

Dear Stratford Borough,

This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested: Copies of 2014 Community Development Block Grant Applications for the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

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Dear Allen,

The Borough of Stratford received your Open Public Records Act (OPRA)
request (REQUEST #2018-07-13) on 7-15-18.  

Your OPRA request sought access to the following:

Records requested: Copies of 2014 Community Development Block Grant
Applications for the years 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.

This request seeks information or asks questions and does not identify
specific government records.  As such, your request is an invalid OPRA
request and is denied.  When a request is “complex” because it fails to
specifically identify the documents sought, then that request is not
“encompassed” by OPRA. See New Jersey Builders Association v. New Jersey
Council on Affordable Housing, 390 N.J.Super. 166, 180 (App. Div. 2007). 
A proper request under OPRA must identify with reasonable clarity those
documents that are desired, and a party cannot satisfy this requirement by
simply requesting all of an agency's documents.  See Bent v. Stafford
Police Department, 381 N.J.Super. 30, 37 (App. Div.  2005). Custodians are
not required to conduct research or create new records in response to an
OPRA request. 

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 [insert name of agency] 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.

Ben Angeli

Municipal Clerk

Borough of Stratford

307 Union Avenue

Stratford, New Jersey 08084

Phone 856-783-0600

Fax 856-783-7949