Public Records Law Information
General information about the public records law and public records requests is found in the January 2017 edition of the Secretary of the Commonwealth's, "A Guide to the Massachusetts Public Records Law".
Making Public Records Requests
Any person may make a public records request by one of the following means:
a. In person at Lynn City Hall, 3 City Hall Square, Lynn, MA 01901;
b. By first class mail addressed to the RAO at the RAO's address set forth above;
c. By e-mail addressed to the RAO at the e-mail address set forth above.
Requests Are Encouraged To Be In Writing
Although not required, it is strongly encouraged that public records requests be in writing to ensure the most efficient and accurate response. All written public records requests shall be addressed/directed to an RAO, and contain the requester's name and contact information, so that the RAO is able to provide the required response.
Contact Information
Individuals making requests in-person are not required to give their names or contact information. For in-person requests that require additional time for a comprehensive response, requesters will be advised to check in periodically with the RAO or department from which records are sought, or requesters may voluntarily provide contact information.
Specificity of Requests
To facilitate timely responses to public records requests, requests should be as specific as possible, detailing, if known, records custodian(s), and date and subject matter parameters. The more specific the request, the better able the City of Lynn will be to respond, as broad requests often require more extensive staff efforts to locate, review and copy all possibly responsive records.
Receipt of Requests
Written requests received during normal business hours, as defined in paragraph 1, above, will be considered received on that date. Written requests sent via email or facsimile after normal business hours shall not be considered received until the following business day. Business days shall not include Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.
Purpose of Request- The RAO may ask for more information to assist the requester to make an appropriate request and/or to enable the RAO to respond more efficiently.
Responses to Public Records Requests
Fees
If fees will be assessed, a written estimate of the same will be provided to the Requester.
Response If Longer Than Ten (10) Days or Denial in Whole or in Part
If a full response, including provision of records, cannot be made within 10 business days of receipt of the request, the RAO or designee will respond to the requester in writing: explaining the anticipated time frame for complete response; identifying any records that the City of Lynn does not have in its custody; identifying records which the City of Lynn does not expect will be provided, or that will be redacted, specifying the relevant exemption and its application to the requested record or portion thereof; providing a good faith fee estimate; and including a statement of appeal rights.
- Clarification of Request: Depending upon the scope of the request, the requester may be asked to clarify the request, provide more specific detail, and/or agree to a voluntary extension of time for the City of Lynn to respond fully to the request.
- Time for Response: Typically, a complete response will be provided within 10 business days of receipt of the requests. If, due to the scope of the request, the need for redactions, or other complications, the City of Lynn is concerned that it will not be able to provide a complete response within that time frame, the City of Lynn may ask the requester for an extension of time to comply or petition the Supervisor of Public Records for additional time.
- Electronic Records Delivery Preference: To the extent feasible, the RAO or designee will provide public records in response to a request by electronic means unless the record is not available electronically or the requester does not have the ability to receive or access the records electronically. To the extent available and feasible, the RAO will provide an electronic record in the requester's preferred format.
- Request for Records to be Mailed: Should a requester seek to have responsive records provided by mail, the requester will be charged the actual cost of postage, using the least expensive form of mailing possible, unless the requester requests, and agrees to pay for, an expedited form of mailing and such fees are paid in advance.
- Creation of Records: The City of Lynn is only required to provide records that are in existence at the time of a request and is not required to create a new record to accommodate a specific request.
- Answering Questions: The City of Lynn is not required to answer questions in response to a public records request.
- Supplementing Responses: The City of Lynn is not required to supplement its response to a previous public records request in the event that responsive records are created in the future.
- Unique Right of Access: Pursuant to the provisions of 950 CMR 32.06(1)(g) , if a requester or requester's representative (such as an attorney), has "a unique right of access by statutory, regulatory, judicial or other applicable means", a request for records will not be considered a G.L. c. 66, §10 public records request.
Categories of Records
You may refer to the Municipal Records Retention Schedule, issued by the Supervisor of Public Records which identifies various categories of records maintained by municipal departments and so-called "records in common".
Exemptions
Exemptions/Redaction/Withholding. Some public records, or portions of records, may not be provided in response to a public records request because the City of Lynn has determined such records to be exempt from disclosure pursuant to the provisions of G.L. c. 4, §7(26), the attorney-client privilege, or other applicable exemptions or common law privileges.
Fees
In some circumstances, the City of Lynn may assess a reasonable fee for the production of public records. Categories of Permissible Charges. Permissible charges include, but are not limited to:
- Five cents ($0.05) per page of black and white printouts or copies;
- Actual cost for storage devices or materials such as CDs or thumb/flash drives;
- Actual cost for duplication of records not susceptible to ordinary means of reproduction, such as color copies and large format plans;
- Postage fees; and fees for employee time required to satisfy a public records request.
No copying fee will be charged for records provided in electronic form.
Employee Time for Locating and Segregating Records
A fee may be charged for employee time necessary to identify, locate, and compile the records requested. A fee may also be charged for employee time necessary to review, and, as applicable, segregate and/or redact information exempt from public disclosure.
The hourly rate for such fees shall be the hourly rate of the lowest paid employee capable of performing the task, provided, however, that this hourly rate shall not exceed twenty-five dollars ($25) per hour, unless the City of Lynn has obtained the approval of the State Supervisor of Public Records to charge a higher hourly rate.
Depending upon the nature of the request, different rates may be charged for different types of work (i.e., a different hourly rate for search time and a different hourly rate for segregation/redaction time).
Requests for Commercial Purposes
Said fee limitations may not apply when a request for records is for a commercial purpose as determined by the Commonwealth's Supervisor of Records.
Petition for Higher Fee
In certain circumstances, the City of Lynn may petition the Supervisor of Public Records for permission to assess fees for employee time at a rate in excess of $25.
Appeals (Denied Access)
If a requester wishes to assert a claim that they have been denied access to public records, they may appeal the RAO's determination to the Supervisor of Records pursuant to 950 CMR 32.08(1). The Supervisor shall make a final determination on the appeal within ten (10) business days of receipt.
Appeals (Dissatisfied)
If the requester is dissatisfied with the determination of the Supervisor of Records, the requester may appeal to the Superior Court. Alternatively, a requester may bypass the Supervisor and go directly to Superior Court.