The Office of Public Records fielded more than 300 requests for public records and waived fees associated with 86 percent of requests according to the latest annual report available on the website.

In fiscal year 2014, the office processed 334 requests for public records, an increase from 292 requests in the previous year. Public records requests are typically from media organizations, commercial businesses, private citizens and others.

The office has a practice of waiving fees associated with requests from non-commercial entities that can be fulfilled within an hour.  In the past year, 86 percent of requests were fulfilled at no charge to the requester, up from 72 percent in fiscal year 2013.

As allowed under Oregon law, the Office of Public Records can charge for the actual cost of making public records available. This includes staff time involved, a per-page fee for photocopies, and any mailing or delivery charges. Staff time includes locating, gathering, reviewing, summarizing, compiling, copying or redacting the public records in response to a request.

In the past year, the office has added functionality to the website, including an improved Online Resources section and navigation changes in the Request Log. The office also plans to post additional documents that are likely to have significant public interest. 

“The UO is open with its information, much of which is available in many places, and our hope is to consolidate some of the existing information and make it more accessible for public records requesters,” said Dave Hubin, senior assistant to the president.