Spending
Dear Ridgewood Village,
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:
Copies of ALL invoices for all fire extinguisher, kitchen fire suppression and fire alarm services from 2020 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
Good morning,
We are in receipt of your OPRA request. At this time, the request is overly broad and would require extensive research to fulfill. To proceed, we will need you to narrow the scope (identify vendors) and identify the specific records you are seeking. The parameters you have provided are not searchable to yield the results you are looking for.
Please also note that custodians are not required to research files to determine which records, if any, might be responsive to a broad or unclear OPRA request. Once we receive your clarification(s), we can continue processing your request.
Feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this further.
Reference Information:
________________________________________
• Under P.L. 2024, c.16, OPRA now provides that a custodian is not required to fulfill an OPRA request if they determine “. . . that the request would require research and the collection of information from the contents of government records and the creation of new government records setting forth that research and information.” N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g). The validity of an OPRA request typically falls into three (3) categories. The first is a request that is overly broad (“any and all,” requests seeking “records” generically, etc.) and requires a custodian to conduct research. MAG Entm’t, LLC v. Div. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 375 N.J. Super. 534, 546 (App. Div. 2005); Donato v. Twp. of Union, GRC Complaint No. 2005-182 (January 2007). The second is those requests seeking non-electronically stored information or asking questions. See e.g. Rummel v. Cumberland Cnty. Bd. of Chosen
• A custodian is obligated to search files to find the identifiable government records listed in the Complainant’s OPRA request. A custodian is not required to research files to figure out which records, if any, might be responsive to a broad and unclear OPRA request. (Custodian’s Handbook)
• A custodian may, but is not required to, seek clarification of a broad or unclear request. The custodian’s request for clarification must be in writing, within seven (7) business days of receipt of the request. If a custodian seeks clarification of an OPRA request, the response time clock stops until the requestor provides a response to the custodian. Upon receipt of the requestor’s clarification, the applicable statutory response time begins anew. (Custodian’s Handbook)
Best regards,
Jennifer Natoli
Deputy Village Clerk
Village of Ridgewood
131 N. Maple Ave
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
P: 201-670-5500 x2205
E: [email address]