$2,000 TO SEE THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE EMAILS

With the recent uproar over Hillary Clinton's private emails, we wanted to see what our own Township Committee had been doing on its government email accounts. Especially with the controversial post office site development under scrutiny.

So we put in a records request for all TC member emails for the past 12 months.

This was the Township Clerk's response:

             Please be advised that we estimate approximately forty (40) to forty-five (45) thousand items between received and sent items among the five (5) members of the Maplewood Township Committee in the last twelve (12) months. The approximate cost of this Open Public Records Request would be $2,000.00.  This is calculated at some 40,000 emails @ .05 per page = $2,000.00.  You are required to pay the $2,000.00 upfront in order for the Township of Maplewood to begin the process.  We will let you know the amount for the review when we see the total number of emails.

Asked why they had to be printed out, we were told that the township attorney must review each in printed form prior to distribution. This is the township policy, not related to any ordinance or state statute.

We do not blame the clerk, she is following procedures. 

But policies that require such major financing to see public information are ridiculous, especially when the information is on emails that could be electronically reviewed and released without the cost of printing them out.

So, apparently, what the TC emails out and receives back on the official email accounts is only public if you can pony up Two Grand.