(1) Fees and payment procedures. The following copying fees and payment procedures apply to requests to the college under chapter
42.56 RCW and received on or after the effective date of this section.
(2) Inspection of records. There is no fee for inspecting public records made available for inspection by the public records officer.
(3) Actual costs not calculated. Pursuant to RCW
42.56.120 (2)(b), the college is not calculating all actual costs for copying records because to do so would be unduly burdensome for the following reasons:
(a) The institution does not have the resources to conduct a study to determine all its actual copying costs;
(b) To conduct such a study would interfere with other essential college functions; and
(c) Through the 2017 legislative process, the public and requestors have commented on and been informed of authorized fees and costs, including for electronic records, provided in RCW
42.56.120 (2)(b) and (c), (3), and (4).
(4) Default fees adopted. The college will charge for copies or records pursuant to the default fees in RCW
42.56.120 (2)(b) and (c). The college will charge for customized services pursuant to RCW
42.56.120(3). Under RCW
42.56.130, the college may charge other copy fees authorized by statutes outside of chapter
42.56 RCW. The college may enter into an alternative fee agreement with a requestor under RCW
42.56.120(4). The charges for copying methods used by the college are summarized in the fee schedule available on the college's web site at
https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/legal/publicrecords/.
(5) Advance payment required – Fee waivers. Requestors are required to pay for copies in advance of receiving records or an installment of records. The records officer will notify the requestor when payment is due. Fee waivers are an exception and are available for some small requests under the following conditions:
(a) It is within the discretion of the public records officer to waive copying fees when:
(i) All of the records responsive to an entire request are paper copies only and consist of twenty-five or fewer pages; or
(ii) All of the records responsive to an entire request are electronic and can be provided in a single email with attachments of a size totaling no more than the equivalent of one hundred printed pages. If that email for any reason is not deliverable, records will be provided through another means of delivery, and the requestor will be charged in accordance with this rule.
(b) Fee waivers are not applicable to records provided in installments.
(6) Copying fee deposits. The public records officer may require an advance deposit of ten percent of the estimated fees when copying fees for an installment or an entire request or customized service charge, exceed twenty-five dollars.
(7) Payment method. Payment should be made by check or money order payable to Bellevue College. The college prefers not to receive cash. For cash payments, it is within the public records officer's discretion to determine the denomination of bills and coins that will be accepted.
(8) Closure of request for nonpayment. The college will close a request when a requestor fails by the payment date to pay in the manner prescribed for records, an installment of records, or a required deposit.