[nfbmi-talk] Fw: FOIA Response to Request for Information on Sibley Media Services Payments

Thu Jan 1 00:34:56 UTC 2015

----- Original Message ----- 
From: joe harcz Comcast 
To: David Robinson NFB MI 
Cc: terry Eagle ; Mark Eagle ; Larry Posont NFBMI Pres. ; Michael Powell NFB MI ; Derek Moore ; mary wurtzel ; J.J. Meddaugh NFB MI ; Terri Wilcox NFB Sec ; Christine Boone ; Joe Sontag NFB MI ; Fred wurtzel ; Larry D Keeler 
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 9:23 AM
Subject: Fw: FOIA Response to Request for Information on Sibley Media Services Payments

----- Original Message ----- 
From: joe harcz Comcast 
To: Haynes, Carla (LARA) 
Cc: Rodgers, Edward (LARA) ; Luzenski, Sue (LARA) ; Pemble, Mike (LARA) ; Belknap, Katie (LARA) ; Jones, Leamon (LARA) ; Gaston, Diamalyn (LARA) 
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 9:21 AM
Subject: Re: FOIA Response to Request for Information on Sibley Media Services Payments

Dear Ms. Haynes and All,

These like all of the responses are ludicrous upon their face and belie Governor Snyder's claim for transparency and accountability by public employees paid handsomely by the citizens of this state.

moreover, the claim that it would take eight hours at $33 per hour to answer a very simple question about identified expenditures of state and federal funds shows how utterly contemptible, smug, snide, and grossly over paid you bureaucrats are in the first place.

I remind you all once again that you work for we the citizens  of this state, including those of us  who are blind and not the other way around.

Happy New Year,

Joe
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Haynes, Carla (LARA) 
  To: joe harcz Comcast 
  Cc: Rodgers, Edward (LARA) ; Luzenski, Sue (LARA) ; Pemble, Mike (LARA) ; Belknap, Katie (LARA) ; Jones, Leamon (LARA) ; Gaston, Diamalyn (LARA) 
  Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2014 8:45 AM
  Subject: FOIA Response to Request for Information on Sibley Media Services Payments

  December 29, 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 Sibley Media Services Payments in FY2014 & 2015

  Dear Mr. Harcz, Jr.:

  This email is in response to your December 18, 2014, email request for information, received by this office on December 19, 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'm writing you today to inquire about the payments made to Sibley Media Services, Inc. (re: attachments for your convenience after my signature line). Simply I would like to know just what services these were for."

  The purpose of the FOIA is to provide the public with access to existing, nonexempt public records of public bodies.  It is not the purpose of the FOIA to permit persons to secure, from a public body, answers to questions that incidentally may be reduced to writing as the term is defined under section 2(h) of the FOIA, although if the public body possesses records containing the information or part of the information, the public body is obligated to provide the records.

  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

  FOIA Response - P.J. Harcz, Jr.

  Page 2 of 2

  December 29, 2014

  including labor, the cost of search, examination, review, and the deletion and separation of exempt from nonexempt information.

  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 $133.92 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 & Email Request for Information

  cc:     Edward F. Rodgers II

  Sue Luzenski

            Mike Pemble

  Katie Belknap

  Leamon Jones

  Diamalyn Gaston

  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:  December 19, 2014

  TYPE OF REQUEST:  Email

  REQUEST PARTIALLY DENIED:  No

  EXEMPT INFORMATION WITHHELD/REDACTED:  To be determined

  EXTENDED RESPONSE NOTICE ISSUED:  No

  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'm writing you today to inquire about the payments made to Sibley Media Services, Inc. (re: attachments for your convenience after my signature line). Simply I would like to know just what services these were for."

  INVOICE CALCULATIONS

  LABOR 

            Locating and Duplicating Cost:  

  Number of Hours:  7 hrs. x Hourly Rate: $33.48 = Amount: $243.36

            Examining and Extracting Cost:  

  Number of Hours: 1 hr. x Hourly Rate: $33.48 = Amount: $33.48

  TOTAL LABOR:           $267.84

  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:  $267.84

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

  INVOICE TOTAL:        $267.84

  DEPOSIT* $133.92

  BALANCE YET TO BE PAID*:      $133.92

  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 

  Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 11:29:26 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) 

  To: Rodgers, Edward (LARA) 

  Cc: Mike Pemble BSBP Dep. Dir.; commissioner-hudson at outlook.com; Gary Gaynor; 

  BSBPcommissioners; Christyne.Cavataio at ed.gov; Larry Posont NFBMI Pres.; Michael Powell NFB MI; 

  Derek Moore; David Robinson NFB MI; Terri Wilcox NFB Sec; mary wurtzel; Mark Eagle; J.J. Meddaugh 

  NFB MI 

  Subject: questions about sibley media services

  December 18 2014 Sibley Payments Questions

  Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

  1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

  Mt. Morris, MI 48458

  810-516-5262

  joeharcz at comcast.net

  To:

  Edward Rodgers, Director

  Mich. Bureau Services to Blind Persons

  Mike Pemble, Deputy Director BSBP

  (via e-mail)

  Dear Sirs,

  I'm writing you today to inquire about the payments made to Sibley Media Services, Inc. (re: attachments for your convenience after my signature line). Simply I would like to know just what services these were for. Moreover, I would like to bring to your attention that this company is one run by Joseph Sibley who is a BSBP Commissioner and that there is at very least an appearance of conflicts of interests in this regards though we all know that the BSBP Commission was designed from the outset to be an ineffective body and that it hasn't even been allowed or been given information required under its mandate under Executive Order 2012-10 let alone obligations under the Rehabilitation Act.

  Regardless I am requesting that you public officials account for these expenditures which I'm certain were legitimate, and all on the up and up.

  Very Best and Happy Holidays,

  Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

  Cc: RSA

  Cc: BSBP Commissioners

  Cc: NFB MI

  Cc: MPAS

  Attachments from DTMB web site:

  Payments to SIBLEY MEDIA SERVICES LLC by LICENSING AND REGULATORY 

  AFFAIRS for fiscal year 2014

  Table with 4 columns and 3 rows

  Agency Name

  Category Description

  Warrant Date

  Payments Total

  LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

  Contractual Services Supplies and Materials

  9/24/2014

  $361.70

  LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

  Contractual Services Supplies and Materials

  4/10/2014

  $50.00

  Payments to SIBLEY MEDIA SERVICES LLC by LICENSING AND REGULATORY 

  AFFAIRS for fiscal year 2015

  Table with 4 columns and 2 rows

  Agency Name

  Category Description

  Warrant Date

  Payments Total

  LICENSING AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

  Contractual Services Supplies and Materials

  10/24/2014

  $723.40

  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