In order to comply with the Open Records Act contained in Chapter 61 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes, the following rules and regulations shall be followed by the City of Hopkinsville:
I. All requests for inspection of public records of the City of Hopkinsville must be submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, 715 S. Virginia Street, Hopkinsville, KY 42240. Requests must be sent by mail, by email to openrecords@h-ky.us, or by fax to (270) 632-2056. Requests for City of Hopkinsville records sent to any other office of the City must be forwarded to the City Clerk’s Office immediately.
NOTE: If you submit a request via email and do not receive a response from the City Clerk's Office within 24 hours that it was received, you should contact the City Clerk's Office at 270-890-0210.
The request must be in writing and include the following information. (A form is attached to aid citizens in making their request and also for City Departments to give out in response to requests.)
1. Name, mailing or email address, and telephone number of the individual requesting to inspect the records.
2. The specific record(s) of which the requestor wishes to inspect or to receive a copy.
3. Whether the records are requested for commercial or noncommercial use. If requested for commercial use, a certified statement stating the commercial purpose for which the records will be used.
4. Verification the requestor is a resident of Kentucky as defined in KRS 61.870.
5. Signature of requesting party.
II. The Office of the City Clerk is the official custodian of all records of the City of Hopkinsville. Office hours normally are from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., local time, Monday through Friday, except for recognized holidays and other times as may be established by the City Clerk for the efficient operation of the City Clerk’s Office.
1. Upon receipt of a written request, the City Clerk’s Office will respond within five working days. If the records requested are open for public disclosure the City will either provide copies of the requested records or set a time when a requestor may inspect the requested records. If the set time is not convenient for the requestor, the City Clerk’s Office will attempt to coordinate a new inspection time convenient to all parties, but it may exceed five working days. If the requested record is not open for public disclosure the City will notify the requestor and provide the exception to the Open Records Act under which the request falls.
2. For public records requested in standard format for noncommercial purposes, the City Clerk may, at their discretion, charge 10 cents per page for photocopied material. If the requested information is in electronic format the cost of the media and any mechanical processing may be charged. Additionally, the City Clerk may charge postage fees. The City will not charge for staff time required to reproduce records for noncommercial use. Any fees shall be paid before copies are made.
3. For public records requested for commercial purposes, the City may require the requestor to enter into a contract which will include the fees charged by the City. The City will charge staff time required to produce copies of the records. Any fees shall be paid before copies are made.
III. The City Clerk shall make every effort to be as responsive as possible to the public regarding access to City records. For that reason, the City Clerk’s Office requires the cooperation of all departments and offices of City government. Failure of any employee to cooperate shall be viewed as a direct violation of the City’s Employee Policies and Procedures Handbook and the employee shall be subject to the disciplinary actions set forth in those Policies.
IV. Certain records are not public records. Those which are not public are specified in federal and state law or rulings of the Attorney General or Courts. The City of Hopkinsville will not make those exempted records available for public inspection.
CONTACT:
BRITTANY BYRUM, CITY CLERK
715 S. VIRGINIA STREET
HOPKINSVILLE, KENTUCKY 42240
EMAIL: OPENRECORDS@H-KY.US
PHONE: 270-890-0210
FAX: 270-632-2056