By Sandra Fish
CFOIC Contributor
The Regional Transportation District is considering capping fees for public records requests from the news media.
The measure would waive up to $300 or $400 in fees for an individual journalist and up to $1,000 for a single news organization. It would cap the total fee waivers at $5,000, said RTD Secretary Chris Nicholson of Denver, who is proposing the policy.
Last year, RTD collected nearly $7,400 in fees to fulfill requests under the Colorado Open Records Act. Members of the media accounted for about 14% of those fees, while attorneys paid 23%. And not all of the 883 requests in 2024 required payments to fulfill.
The agency charges $30 an hour, with the first hour free as required by state law. Agencies are allowed to charge up to $41.37 an hour.
Nicholson’s proposal may be considered by the full board in March after being discussed by the transit agency’s executive committee Thursday.
“Few journalistic outlets today have lots of money for research costs, especially when they don’t know what they’re going to get in return,” Nicholson told the executive committee. “This program will make it easier for local papers in Brighton and Longmont and Highlands Ranch and Parker to have an equal ability to obtain records that can answer the questions that their communities are interested in.”
Three people representing the media told the committee during public comment that the measure would help provide more information to the public.
“When those fees continue to get higher, it limits the public’s right to know how their tax dollars are being spent,” said Colorado Press Association president Linda Shapley, who is director of editorial and audience for Colorado Community Media, which operates several small Denver metro area news organizations.
Not all RTD board members attending the meeting were enthusiastic about the proposal.
“I’d be concerned that this could really open up the door to a lot more staff time and a lot more expense for RTD,” said Director Lynn Guissinger.
Nicholson said the fee waiver would apply to members of the Colorado Press Association, the Colorado Broadcasters Association or other journalists as defined by the state’s press shield law.
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