OPRA Has Gotten Easier in Woodbridge

Getting government records in Woodbridge just got a little bit easier.

The township has revised its Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request form so that you don't have to fill the form out in order to get public records.

Instead, you can email , the township's custodian of public records, at john.mitch@twp.woodbridge.nj.us with your request.

John Paff, chairman of the NJ Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Project, said he had noticed the information on the OPRA form he had downloaded was incorrect.

That form said that if someone who wanted to OPRA a document wasn't using the official township form, the local government wasn't required to fulfill the request.

Paff emailed Mitch with his concern, and Mitch agreed in an email to revamp the township's OPRA request documents to comport with state law.

"It's always good when we can make it easier for people to get information from their government," Paff said.

The good thing about using electronic mail to ask for an OPRA document is that there is no charge to have the information sent back to you. State law requires that OPRA requests be fulfilled within 7 business days after the records custodian acknowledges the request.

Mitch also tweaked another item on the township's OPRA form - that of requiring information seekers to certify if they've ever been convicted of an indictable offense.

"I never liked this question," Paff said. He believes that for the government records neophyte, a question like that could be perceive as intimidating.

"The reason for it is that is to find out if you've been convicted of a crime, and you're asking for your victim's records. They don't have to give it to you.

"But if you're a convicted murderer, you can still ask for the township's meeting minutes, and you're entitled to get them."

The issue, Paff said, is only really relevant if you're a felon and you're asking for information related to a victim of a crime.

"That happens in less than one-tenth of one percent of OPRA requests," he said.

The NJ Government Records Council, which oversees OPRA documentation, decided to get around the issue by requiring everyone to answer the question, Paff said.

The new Woodbridge OPRA form, however, shows a sensitivity by first asking whether the person making the request is asking for personal information.

If the paperwork they're seeking isn't of a personal nature, they don't have to answer the question.

"I can understand why people would be intimidated by it. If they knew they didn't have to use the form or sign the statement, citizens might exercise their rights to the democratic process more freely," Paff said.