[nfbmi-talk] Fw: FOIA Response to Request for Information on Anderson Building Equipment

Wed Jun 18 20:38:22 UTC 2014

----- Original Message ----- 
From: joe harcz Comcast 
To: Haynes, Carla (LARA) 
Cc: Rodgers, Edward (LARA) ; Luzenski, Sue (LARA) ; Pemble, Mike (LARA) ; Belknap, Katie (LARA) ; Zanger, Connie (LARA) ; Essenberg, Rob (LARA) 
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: FOIA Response to Request for Information on Anderson Building Equipment

June 18 2014 Elliot Anderson Building

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

Mt. Morris, MI 48458

810-516-5262joeharcz at comcast.net

To:

Edward Rodgers, Director, BSBP

Carla Haynes

Mike Pemble

Rob Essenberg

Constance Zanger

All,

After my signature line please find equipment purchased from but one vendor for the Anderson Building "Cora's Café". This is but a partial response to the ludicrous response and charges under FOIA for an accounting of capitol equipment purchased for this one mandated Business Enterprise Program facility alone.

You are public servants dealing with public funds and are supposed to account for those expenditures and to assure that Vocational Rehabilitation funds go precisely where they are supposed to go and for the purposes intended.

In other words I don't work for you but rather you work for me and other citizens of this state.

Again your obfuscations don't jive with the findings and recommendations of the Michigan Auditor General's BEP report of November 2012 or anything else for that matter.

Sincerely,

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

Cc: MCRS

Cc: RSA

Cc: EL, Mich. Auditor General's Office

Cc: CAP/MPAS

Cc: BSBP Commission

Cc: several

Attachment:

Source:

http://media.state.mi.us/MiTransparency/Vendor/Warrants?y=2014&v=ELLIOTT%20FOOD%20EQUIPMENT%20LLC&a=641&g=Capital%20Acquisitions%20and%20Rentals&Column=WarrantDate&Direction=Descending

Payments to ELLIOTT FOOD EQUIPMENT LLC by LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS for fiscal year 2014

Table with 4 columns and 6 rows

Agency Name

Category Description

Warrant Date

Payments Total

LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

6/4/2014

$8,000.00

LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

5/19/2014

$117,583.50

LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

5/6/2014

$8,000.00

LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

5/2/2014

$10,650.00

LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

4/1/2014

$8,000.00

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Haynes, Carla (LARA) 
  To: joe harcz Comcast 
  Cc: Rodgers, Edward (LARA) ; Luzenski, Sue (LARA) ; Pemble, Mike (LARA) ; Belknap, Katie (LARA) ; Zanger, Connie (LARA) ; Essenberg, Rob (LARA) 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 3:58 PM
  Subject: FOIA Response to Request for Information on Anderson Building Equipment

  June 18, 2014

  Mr. Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

  E-mail: joeharcz at comcast.net

  1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

  Mt. Morris, MI 48458

  Re:  FOIA Response to Request for Information on Anderson Building Equipment

  Dear Mr. Harcz, Jr.:

  This email is in response to your May 27, 2014, email request for information, received by this office on May 28, 2014, of which an extension was taken to June 16, 2014.  Please be advised that the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP) is processing this request under the state's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCL 15.231 et seq. 

  You have requested information as described in your email (which is also below) as:

  ".I am asking for a complete breakdown of the inventory in the Anderson Building. In addition I am asking for a complete accounting of all the equipment that was in said Anderson Building in February of 2012, where it went and simply what happened to it?"

  Your request is granted as to existing, nonexempt documents pertaining to your request. 

  We estimate that the time to process this request is 8 hours.  Section 4(1) of the FOIA, MCL 15.234(1), provides that a public body may charge a fee for public record search, including the mailing costs, the cost of duplication or publication including labor, the cost of search, examination, review, and the deletion and separation of exempt from nonexempt information.

  FOIA Response - P.J. Harcz, Jr.

  Page 2 of 2

  June 18, 2014

  Please note that nothing within the federal American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA), as amended, or the state's FOIA (MCL 15.231 et seq.) requires a public body to process FOIA requests free of charge.  Further, while the ADA and Section 504 of the RA may mandate that, upon request, material be produced in an accessible format without charge, neither the ADA or Section 504 of the RA preclude a public body from charging costs under the state's FOIA.  Thusly, please note that no labor fee charges have been, or will be, assessed to convert existing, nonexempt public records responsive to your requests into an accessible format to forward to you.

  In order to complete the processing of your request, and based on the hourly wages and benefits of the lowest paid Department employee capable of performing the necessary tasks to process your request, we are requesting a deposit of $125.48 in order to begin the processing of this request.  An invoice is attached that outlines the costs.

  Once payment is received for the deposit, we will start the processing of your request.  Once the process is complete, we will request payment for the additional amount of the actual cost of the request.  When we receive this payment, we will send the information either to you via email or to you in the U.S. Mail on a USB flash drive (depending on the amount of material responsive to your request).

  Sincerely,

  Carla Miller Haynes, FOIA Coordinator

  Bureau of Services for Blind Persons

  Attachments - 2:  Invoice & Request for Information

  cc:     Edward F. Rodgers II, Sue Luzenski

            Mike Pemble, Katie Belknap

            Constance Zanger

            Rob Essenberg

            James Hull

  DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

  BUREAU OF SERVICES FOR BLIND PERSONS

  FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT INVOICE

  NAME AND ADDRESS OF REQUESTER:

  Mr. Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

  E-mail: joeharcz at comcast.net

  1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

  Mt. Morris, MI 48458

  REQUEST RECEIVED:  May 28, 2014

  TYPE OF REQUEST:  Email

  REQUEST PARTIALLY DENIED:  No

  EXEMPT INFORMATION WITHHELD/REDACTED:  To be determined

  EXTENDED RESPONSE NOTICE ISSUED:  Yes to June 16, 2014

  REQUESTED INFORMATION WILL BE:  Emailed/Invoiced For Payment

  ACCOUNT CODE:  Index:   36200        PCA: 11343

  DLARA CONTACT:  Melvin Farmer, Central FOIA Coordinator

  (517) 373-0194, Ottawa Building, 4th Floor, 611 W. Ottawa, Lansing, MI  48909

  The FOIA provides that the department may charge a fee to comply with requests for public records.  The processing fee is composed of hourly wages and benefit costs of the lowest paid employee(s) capable of processing the request; the duplication of records at assessed costs per page; mailing costs; and other related special costs.  Prior to searching and copying requested records, the department may request full payment or 50% of the estimated costs exceeding $50.00 with the balance required before mailing the records.  Assessed costs are related to your request for:

  ".I am asking for a complete breakdown of the inventory in the Anderson Building. In addition I am asking for a complete accounting of all the equipment that was in said Anderson Building in February of 2012, where it went and simply what happened to it?"

  "

  INVOICE CALCULATIONS

  LABOR 

            Locating and Duplicating Cost:  

  Number of Hours:  7 hrs. x Hourly Rate: $31.37 = Amount:      $219.59

            Examining and Extracting Cost:  

                     Number of Hours: 1 hrs. x Hourly Rate: $31.37 = Amount:       $31.37

  TOTAL LABOR:           $250.96

  POSTAGE (estimate):           To be determined based on the amount of information

  DUPLICATING:  Number of Pages (0) times Copying Rate of $0

  OTHER (overtime, audio tapes, discs, photos, security, etc.):  $0

  SUBTOTAL:  $125.48

  Less waived indigency fee under FOIA Act MCL 15.234 Section 4(1)       

  INVOICE TOTAL:        $125.48

  DEPOSIT* $125.48

  BALANCE TO BE PAID*:     $125.48

  Make check or money order payable to:         STATE OF MICHIGAN

  Remit to:    Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

  Office Services Mailroom

  7150 Harris Drive, PO Box 30015

  Lansing, MI  48909

  RETURN ORIGINAL COPY OF THIS INVOICE WITH YOUR PAYMENT

  *Please note that if a deposit is requested, the indicated amount is an estimate of the cost of complying with your request.  The actual cost may vary somewhat from this amount.

  From: joe harcz Comcast [mailto:joeharcz at comcast.net]  

  Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 8:58 AM 

  To: Rodgers, Edward (LARA) 

  Cc: Luzenski, Sue (LARA); Pemble, Mike (LARA); Zimmer, Mike (LARA); Christyne.Cavataio at ed.gov; 

  nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org; BSBPcommissioners; commissioner-hudson at outlook.com; Joe Sibley MCBVI 

  Pres.; Marlene Malloy MCRS Dir.; BRIAN SABOURIN 

  Subject: accounting anderson building equipment

  May 27 2014 Elliot and other Anderson Building Accounting

  Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

  1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

  Mt. Morris, MI  48458

  810-516-5262

  joeharcz at comcast.net

  To:

  Edward Rodgers, BSBP Director, DSU

  Michael Zimmer, LARA, DSA

  Mike Pemble, Deputy Director, BSBP

  All,

  Please note after my signature line Capital Equipment purchases (partial) that I assume are in the so-called ""Cora's Café" in the Michigan House Office Building which is supposed to be a BEP location for a licensed operator under PA 260.

  Regardless as per the 2012 audit of the Michigan Auditor General BSBP was to have in place a system for readily identifying all purchases and continued inventory accounting of such equipment. Thus I am asking for a complete breakdown of the inventory in the Anderson Building. In addition I am asking for a complete accounting of all the equipment that was in said Anderson Building in February of 2012, where it went and simply what happened to it?

  This shouldn't be so difficult for you astute fiduciaries to handle. After all these are taxpayer funds involved here.

  Thank you in advance for your prompt response and accurate accounting of the public's funds.

  Sincerely,

  Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

  Cc: NFB

  Cc: several media

  Cc: several legislators

  Cc: RSA

  Cc: MCRS

  Cc: BSBP Commissioners

  Cc: MPAS

  Attachment:

  Source:

  http://media.state.mi.us/MiTransparency/Vendor/Warrants?y=2014&v=ELLIOTT%20FOOD%2

  0EQUIPMENT%20LLC&a=641&g=Capital%20Acquisitions%20and%20Rentals&Column=Wa

  rrantDate&Direction=Descending

  Mi Transparency - Payments to a Vendor by Agency and Category

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  List of 4 items

  State Expenditures by Category

  State Expenditures by Appropriation Unit

  Vendor Payments»

  Tax Expenditure Reports

  list end

  Payments to a Vendor by Agency and Category

  Payments to ELLIOTT FOOD EQUIPMENT LLC by LICENSING AND REGULATORY 

  AFFAIRS for fiscal year 2014

  Table with 4 columns and 5 rows

  Agency Name

  Category Description

  Warrant Date

  Payments Total

  LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

  Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

  5/19/2014

  $117,583.50

  LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

  Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

  5/6/2014

  $8,000.00

  LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

  Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

  5/2/2014

  $10,650.00

  LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

  Capital Acquisitions and Rentals

  4/1/2014

  $8,000.00

  table end

  Showing 1 - 4 of 4

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  Carla Miller Haynes

  LARA Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP)

  201 N. Washington Square, 2nd Floor

  P.O. Box 30652

  Lansing, MI  48909

  Telephone:  517-373-2063 or Toll-Free 1-800-292-4200

  Fax:  517-335-5140

  www.michigan.gov/bsbp