Open Public Records Act (OPRA):

 

Did you ever want to have more information on PMUA salaries, expenses, budgets, contracts, costs to print and mail the Winter 2009 multi-page color newsletter, etc?

 

Because PMUA is a municipal utilities authority, they are subject to New Jersey's OPRA laws. DumpPMUA has attached PMUA's OPRA request form on the bottom of this page. Advice: There is no charge to review / see public documents under OPRA. PMUA is allowed to charge you if you request paper copies.

 

Here is a synopsis of OPRA from NJ's Government Records Council:

 

The Open Public Records Act provides procedures for the public (the "requester') to review or copy government records. This Records Note provides a summary of these procedures and guidance for requesting records.

 

To access government records, a requester must determine which records he or she wishes to see or copy, and then determine which public agency holds them. OPRA applies to requests for records, not request for isolated facts. The requester should ask the custodian of records for help in identifying what public record is likely to contain the information or facts being sought.

 

In order to be considered a valid request under OPRA, the request must identify the specific record(s) desired, the request must be submitted to the records custodian of the public agency that has the record, and that agency's records request form must be used to ask for the record.

 

Requesters should contact the agency in advance to determine the identity of the custodian. That will help eliminate delays in fulfilling a request. In a municipal government, the custodian will be the municipal clerk, or, at other levels of government, someone in that agency who has been appointed to that job. In many municipal governments, records routinely available through an office, like the police department or tax collector, can still be obtained directly from those offices.

 

Calling ahead or checking agency web sites in advance of filing requests can save time and aggravation. State government has a web site, OPRA Central, dedicated to helping people find state government records. OPRA Central also has lists of Internet links to New Jersey public agency web sites.

 

PMUA's OPRA Request Form - PMUA-opra-request

OPRA FAQ's - OPRA Guide

Government Records Council website - www.state.nj.us/grc