Spending
Dear Jefferson Township,
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:
All fire alarm and fire extinguisher invoices from 2019 to present
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,
Tony Michael
Dear Tony Michael:
The Jefferson Township Clerk’s Office received your request (the
“Request”) under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1
et seq. (“OPRA”) on November 6, 2025. In your request, you sought access
to the following:
Records requested:
All fire alarm and fire extinguisher invoices from 2019 to present
Response: OPRA is a request for specific, identifiable documents and broad
requests or requests for “information” or “any/all” are not proper
requests. As such, the remainder of your request is an invalid OPRA
request and is denied.
An OPRA request must identify the documents sought with specificity and
particularity. Burke v. Brandes, 429 N.J. Super. 169, 175 (App. Div.
2012). A general request for documents is invalid under OPRA if such
documents are not “reasonably described with such identifying information”
sufficient to identify specific government records. See id. at 176-77.
Moreover, “OPRA does not require record custodians to conduct research
among its records for a requestor and correlate data from various
government records in the custodian’s possession.” MAG Entertainment, LLC
v. Div. of ABC, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 546-47 (App. Div. 2005).
OPRA is not a research tool, and it cannot be used “to force government
officials to identify and siphon useful information.” See id. at 546.
Rather, OPRA simply operates “to make identifiable government records
“readily accessible for inspection, copying, or examination.” Ibid.
(citing N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1). Furthermore, OPRA does not “authorize a party
to make a blanket request for every document a public agency has on file.”
Bent v. Twp. of Stafford Police Dep't, Custodian of Records, 381 N.J.
Super. 30, 37 (App. Div. 2005)
Please consider your request closed.
Please submit all OPRA (public records) requests through the on-line
portal:
[1]https://jefferson.seamlessdocs.com/f/OPRA
Using the on-line portal is important as:
-it displays confirmation that the request has been submitted
-it sends an email confirmation that the request has been submitted
-it assigns a tracking number to the request
-it sends the request to the appropriate group email account
-it allows the requestor to email (to themselves) a copy of the document
I appreciate your anticipated cooperation in using the on-line portal, as
your email may be marked as spam when using other programs and delay the
Clerk’s Office receipt of the request.
If you have questions about how to use the portal please contact the
Clerk’s Office.
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 Jefferson 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.
If you have any questions, please contact me either via email at
[email address] or by telephone at 973-208-6132.
Best Regards,
Amanda L. Nevins, RMC, CMR
Deputy Township Clerk
Township of Jefferson
1033 Weldon Rd
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849
973-208-6132
-----Original Message-----
From: Michele Reilly <[Jefferson Township request email]>
Sent: Thursday, November 6, 2025 2:11 PM
To: Amanda Nevins <[email address]>
Subject: FW: OPRA request - Spending
Amanda, received today - in my junk mail...........
-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Michael
<[2][OPRA #82287 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 7:10 AM
To: Michele Reilly <[3][Jefferson Township request email]>
Subject: OPRA request - Spending
Dear Jefferson Township,
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:
All fire alarm and fire extinguisher invoices from 2019 to present
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,
Tony Michael
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Please deliver records electronically via email to the below UNIQUE
address for all replies to this request:
[4][OPRA #82287 email]
Is [5][Jefferson Township request email] the wrong address for OPRA requests to
Jefferson Township? If so, please contact us using this form:
[6]https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=ht...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
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View this OPRA request & responses online:
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Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.
If you find this service useful as an OPRA custodian, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's website.
"OPRAmachine’s mission is to give people easy and affordable access to New
Jersey public records.
For more information, contact us at: (732) 707-1628 or PO Box 3180, New
Brunswick, NJ 08903."
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References
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3. mailto:[Jefferson Township request email]
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5. mailto:[Jefferson Township request email]
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