Get to Know OPRA

I had to miss the first hour or so of the January 8th Workshop meeting due to a scheduling conflict. Not to worry because I was able to OPRA the meeting recording to hear what I missed. And, no, Oprah does not attend our town meetings. What is OPRA, then? OPRA is short for the New Jersey Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. (P.L. 2001, c. 404).  This statute provides a right to the public to access certain public records in the State of New Jersey.

To request records, you can fill out an OPRA request form, available on the town website or at the Municipal Building. You need to provide specifics on what types of records you want and how you want them delivered. A fee may be required for certain requests. In my case, I requested the audio recording of the January 8, 2020 Town Council Workshop meeting, and specified that I would provide a flash drive on which to copy them.

OPRA has been under some scrutiny lately, with many towns charging that filling OPRA requests create a burden and has groups such as the League of Municipalities pressing for a review of the law as it exists today. https://www.nj.com/news/2020/01/were-being-bogged-down-by-greedy-businesses-so-this-law-should-change-towns-say.html

To read the statute, visit https://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/2013/title-47/section-47-1a-1/