The document summarizes an exchange of emails between Mark George and Honey Coppage of Valdosta State University regarding Mr. George's open records requests. Ms. Coppage provides a cost estimate of $83.54 for administrative search and retrieval time and copy fees to fulfill parts of the request. She notes one part from Dr. McKinney is still being gathered. Mr. George argues the costs are unreasonable and the individuals could fulfill the requests directly without additional search given the nature of the requests.
The document summarizes an exchange of emails between Mark George and Honey Coppage of Valdosta State University regarding Mr. George's open records requests. Ms. Coppage provides a cost estimate of $83.54 for administrative search and retrieval time and copy fees to fulfill parts of the request. She notes one part from Dr. McKinney is still being gathered. Mr. George argues the costs are unreasonable and the individuals could fulfill the requests directly without additional search given the nature of the requests.
The document summarizes an exchange of emails between Mark George and Honey Coppage of Valdosta State University regarding Mr. George's open records requests. Ms. Coppage provides a cost estimate of $83.54 for administrative search and retrieval time and copy fees to fulfill parts of the request. She notes one part from Dr. McKinney is still being gathered. Mr. George argues the costs are unreasonable and the individuals could fulfill the requests directly without additional search given the nature of the requests.
Subject: records requests Date: August 7, 2014 1:09:41 PM EDT To: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com> Cc: Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Dr. George The purpose of this email is to provide you with a cost estimate for your recent records requests dated August 4, 2014, to Dr. McKinney, Dr. Rogers, Dean Plumly, Mr. Haugabrook, and Mr. Crawford. Your original requests stated to make available for review and copying so the estimate provided is based on the premise that you would like copies of all materials requested. If you choose not to take copies and simply want to review documents then on the Administrative Search and Retrieval estimate will apply.
Administrative Search and Retrieval Time 15 hours at a rate of $41.11 per hour, for a total of $606.37 (no charge for the first 15 minutes). Rate is determined by the only qualified person in IT to retrieve email communication from all sources for requests.
Copy fees associate with requests are estimated at a total of $25.00 250 pages @ .10 cent per copy. This could be more or less depending on number of copies.
At this time I need to know if you would like me to move ahead with fulfilling your requests? Please contact me if you have any questions.
Honey Coppage Associate to the Provost University Records Custodian Academic Affairs Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 Phone: 229-333-5950 Fax: 229-333-7400 Email: hhatcher@valdosta.edu MY RESPONSE TO MS. COPPAGE Subject: Re: records requests From: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com> Date: August 7, 2014 2:54:39 PM EDT To: Honey Hatcher Coppage <hhatcher@valdosta.edu>, President's Office <vsupresidentsoffice@valdosta.edu>, William J McKinney <wmckinney@valdosta.edu>, Hudson P Rogers <hprogers@valdosta.edu>, Brian A Haugabrook <bahaugab@valdosta.edu>, lwplumly@valdosta.edu, jdcrawford@valdosta.edu Cc: Floyd Rose <floyderose@att.net>, Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>, Dean Poling <Dean.Poling@gaflnews.com>, Adam Floyd <adam.floyd@gaflnews.com>, sstevens@floridafaf.org, dseagraves@acluga.org
Dear Ms. Coppage,
The costs you cite are utterly unreasonable given I made individual open records requests to the parties involved (Dr. McKinney, Provost Rogers, Dean Plumly, and Brian Haugabrook). As you and each party knows, they simply need to provide copies of any relevant emails/documents for inspection. That task requires no "administrative search and retrieval" by a third party. My request also did and does not require the attention of an IT person to provide emails for the parties I contacted. Furthermore, the decision of the President, Provost, Dean Plumly, and the IT Director to allocate this task/request to a paid staff was/is not necessary. Lastly, to suggest that this task took 15 hours at a rate of $41.11 per hour is simply ridiculous.
With this in mind, I will more than glad to pay for the 250 pages? @.10 cent per copy ($25.00) and will gladly drop by to pick up the documents tomorrow. If that is not agreeable please let me know.
Dr. Mark George 229-269-5303
RESPONSE FROM MS. COPPAGE From: Honey Hatcher Coppage <hhatcher@valdosta.edu> Subject: request Date: August 7, 2014 3:33:10 PM EDT To: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com> Cc: Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Dr. George - The University Attorney advises that under Georgia law, (c) (1) An agency may impose a reasonable charge for the search, retrieval, redaction, and production or copying costs for the production of records pursuant to this article. An agency shall utilize the most economical means reasonably calculated to identify and produce responsive, nonexcluded documents. Where fees for certified copies or other copies or records are specifically authorized or otherwise prescribed by law, such specific fee shall apply when certified copies or other records to which a specific fee may apply are sought. In all other instances, the charge for the search, retrieval, or redaction of records shall not exceed the prorated hourly salary of the lowest paid full-time employee who, in the reasonable discretion of the custodian of the records, has the necessary skill and training to perform the request; provided, however, that no charge shall be made for the first quarter hour. She further advises that, In any instance in which an agency will seek costs in excess of $25.00 for responding to a request, the agency shall notify the requester within a reasonable amount of time not to exceed three business days and inform the requester of the estimate of the costs, and the agency may defer search and retrieval of the records until the requester agrees to pay the estimated costs unless the requester has stated in his or her request a willingness to pay an amount that exceeds the search and retrieval costs.
Please let me know if you wish to proceed.
Sincerely,
Honey Coppage Associate to the Provost University Records Custodian Academic Affairs Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 Phone: 229-333-5950 Fax: 229-333-7400 Email: hhatcher@valdosta.edu
MY RESPONSE TO MS. COPPAGE Subject: Re: request From: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com> Date: August 7, 2014 4:52:37 PM EDT To: Honey Hatcher Coppage <hhatcher@valdosta.edu>, William J McKinney <wmckinney@valdosta.edu>, President's Office <vsupresidentsoffice@valdosta.edu>, Hudson P Rogers <hprogers@valdosta.edu>, Brian A Haugabrook <bahaugab@valdosta.edu>, lwplumly@valdosta.edu, jdcrawford@valdosta.edu Cc: Floyd Rose <floyderose@att.net>, Adam Floyd <adam.floyd@gaflnews.com>, Dean Poling <Dean.Poling@gaflnews.com>, sstevens@floridafaf.org, deseagraves@acluga.org, Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Ms. Coppage,
I have read the law as well and the operative phrase in the first clause you cite is "reasonable charge." Given the Director of IT only made $85,333.36 last year (an amount well below $41.11 an hour for a full-time employee) the notion that that "lowest paid full-time employee who, in the reasonable discretion of the custodian of the records, has the necessary skill and training to perform the request" is paid $41.11 (at VSU?) is just silly.
On the topic of open records law, Georgia law also states that "If the agency has elected to designate an open records officer, the agency shall so notify the legal organ of the county in which the agency's principal offices reside and, if the agency has a website, shall also prominently display such designation on the agency's website." Although you have evidently added the title University Records Custodian to you VSU signature, a change that seems to have happened with my open records request, you are not "prominently displayed" as the open records officer for VSU on their webpage/website (see attached screenshot). So I am confused as to why I am communicating with you instead of the parties I made the requests with? In short, you are not publicly designated as the open records officer for VSU and a search of VSU's website shows that no such person exists. You are simply the Associate to the Provost/VPAA.
Lastly and back to the cited clause, no "search, retrieval, redaction" was necessary for the information I requested given it is housed on the computers of the individuals I made my open requests to. In short, its not lost or buried amongst a bulk of information that needed to be searched. As you may know, one simply does a search of their email to locate a desired communication. Given that I simply requested any communications that discussed myself and/or the Mary Turner Project, Dr. McKinney, Provost Rogers, Brian Haugabrook, and John Crawford simply need to do a search of their email using my name and/or the Mary Turner Project. They, or their staff, could then simply press print to produce the requested documents. Dean Plumly can do the same for the information I requested regarding Dr. Ben Carson's visit. It is that simple and does not require a third party, someone supposedly paid $41.11 an hour.
Dr. Mark George 229-269-5303
RESPONSE FROM MS. COPPAGE From: Honey Hatcher Coppage <hhatcher@valdosta.edu> Subject: Records Requests Date: August 8, 2014 9:48:27 AM EDT To: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com> Cc: Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Dr. George at this time the University has gathered all correspondence from the following individuals that relate or reference Mark George and/of Mary Turner Project:
Dr. Rogers Brian Haugabrook John Crawford
As well as correspondence from Dean Plumly.
Costs for above is:
Administrative Search and Retrieval Time 2 hours @ $41.11 per hour (no charge for first 15 minutes) = 1.75*41.11 = $71.94 Copy Fees Total of 116 pages @ .10 per page = $11.60 Total to release $83.54
I am still in the process of search and retrieval for the request made of Dr. McKinney. If you would like to schedule a time to pick up what is ready please contact me. If you would like to wait until I have all materials please let me know. Cost estimate for Dr. McKinney could add up to an additional 2 hours to the search and retrieval estimate above as well as copy fee increase which I cannot provide at this time because I am not certain of page count at this point.
Please let me know how you would like to proceed.
Honey Coppage Associate to the Provost University Records Custodian Academic Affairs Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 Phone: 229-333-5950 Fax: 229-333-7400 Email: hhatcher@valdosta.edu
MY RESPONSE TO MS. COPPAGE From: Mark George [mailto:markpgeorge@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, August 08, 2014 11:49 AM To: Honey Hatcher Coppage; VSU President's Office; William J McKinney; Hudson P Rogers; Laverne Lewis Gaskins; Brian A Haugabrook; Lester Wayne Plumly; John D Crawford Cc: Floyd Rose; Leigh Touchton; Dean Poling; Adam Floyd; sstevens@floridafaf.org; deseagraves@acluga.org Subject: Re: Records Requests Importance: High
Ms. Coppage,
Although I appreciate that you have reduced the number of hours you claim it took to search and retrieve the information I requested, I still think that the suggestion that the "lowest paid full-time employee" able to provide the information I seek earns $41.11 per hour is unreasonable. I urge you to reconsider that amount and please know that I am in communication with the Georgia Attorney General's Office regarding this matter.
With that in mind, I request you lower the hourly charge to something truly reasonable and I will gladly comply.
Thank you, Mark George
RESPONSE FROM MS. COPPAGE From: Honey Hatcher Coppage <hhatcher@valdosta.edu> Subject: RE: Records Requests Date: August 8, 2014 2:54:28 PM EDT To: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com> Cc: Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Dr. George I now have all materials ready and can provide a better estimate. I have reduced the administrative retrieval rate to the lowest paid person that is qualified to retrieve data requested to $31.90 per hour.
Total pages 305 * .10 = $30.50 copy fees Administrative search and retrieval time 4 hours (no charge for first 15 minutes) - $31.90 * 3.75 = $119.62
Total Costs associated with request is $150.12
Please let me know how you would like to proceed.
Honey Coppage Associate to the Provost University Records Custodian Academic Affairs Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 Phone: 229-333-5950 Fax: 229-333-7400 Email: hhatcher@valdosta.edu MY RESPONSE TO MS. COPPAGE From: Mark George [mailto:markpgeorge@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2014 6:00 AM To: Honey Hatcher Coppage; VSU President's Office; William J McKinney; Hudson P Rogers; Laverne Lewis Gaskins; Brian A Haugabrook; Lester Wayne Plumly; John D Crawford Cc: Floyd Rose; Leigh Touchton; Dean Poling; Adam Floyd; sstevens@floridafaf.org; deseagraves@acluga.org Subject: Re: Records Requests
Ms. Coppage,
Although I still contend that a $31.90 an hour "search and retrieval" fee for my request remains extremely unreasonable and says much about VSU's willingness to be transparent and "above board", I will pay the $150.12 and will plan to pick up the documents from your office Monday afternoon. At this juncture, I will take up my concerns about the fee and this process with the Attorney General's office.
Will your office accept a personal check or would you like me to bring cash?
Dr. George RESPONSE FROM MS. COPPAGE From: Honey Hatcher Coppage <hhatcher@valdosta.edu> Subject: RE: Records Requests Date: August 11, 2014 8:06:52 AM EDT To: Mark George <markpgeorge@gmail.com> Cc: Laverne Lewis Gaskins <llgaskin@valdosta.edu>
Dr. George materials will be ready for pick up after noon today. I will attach an invoice on top. You will need to bring a picture ID in the event I am not in the office when you come by. You will have to sign for the materials and we will give you a paid receipt. Check or cash is fine. I do not have change so please bring exact amount.
Sincerely,
Honey Coppage University Records Custodian
EMAIL ACQUIRED THROUGH 8/4/14 OPEN RECORDS REQUEST: OPEN RECORDS SEARCH AND RETREVIAL FEE = $15.31 PER HOUR NOT $31.90
Open Records Request To University System of Georgia Vice Chancellor Tom Daniel Who Instructed VSU To Take Action Against Mary Turner Project Coordinator.
Open Records Request To University System of Georgia Vice Chancellor Tom Daniel Who Instructed VSU To Take Action Against Mary Turner Project Coordinator.