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1. How Do I Request Public Data?

You may request data by completing a form. You may complete and submit the Data Request Form online. Alternately, an electronic for can be emailed, a printed form can be mailed to you, or you may pick up a form at City Hall.

 Data requests are to include:

• You are making a request for public data under the Government Data Practices Act (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13).
• Whether you would like to inspect the data, have copies of the data, or both.
• A thorough description of the specific data you would like to inspect or have copied.
• You are not required to identify yourself or explain the reason for your data request. However, depending on how you want us to process your request (if, for example, you want us to mail you copies of data), we may need some information about you. If you choose not to give us any identifying information, you will need to contact us to check on the status of your request. In addition, please keep in mind that if we do not understand your request and have no way to contact you, we will not be able to begin processing your request.

2. What Happens After I File A Public Data Request?

Upon receiving your request, we will work to process it.

•  If it is not clear what data you are requesting, we will ask you for clarification.
•  If we do not have the data you are requesting, we will notify you in writing within ten (10) business days.
•  If we have the data, but the data are not public, we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and state which specific law says the data are not public.
•  If the data you are requesting is copyrighted, the City will permit you to view the data free of charge. However, under Title 17 of the United States Code regulating copyrights, the City may not provide you with a copy or reproduction of a copyrighted document.
•  If we have the data, and the data are public, we will respond to your request appropriately and promptly, within a reasonable amount of time by doing one of the following:
  •  Arranging a date, time, and place for you to inspect data free of charge, if your request is to look at the data, or
  • Providing you with copies of the data as soon as reasonably possible. You may choose to pick up your copies, or we will mail or fax them to you. We will provide electronic copies (email) upon request if we keep the data in electronic format. 
  • There may be a fee for staff time associated with researching your request. If there is a fee you will be notified prior to processing. The fee is approved by the City Council annually as part of the City’s fee schedule. 
  • While viewing public data is free of charge, there is a cost to receive copies of public data. These fees are approved by the City Council annually as part of the City’s fee schedule. 

3. Is There A Fee?

The City charges for copies of government data. These charges are authorized under Minnesota Statutes. Fees are included in the current fee schedule approved by the City Council. We will provide an estimated cost upon request prior to processing a request.

4. Who Do I Contact If I Have A Question?

For questions about data contact City Administrator Dawn Meyer. 

Other staff members responsible for the maintenance and dissemination of City records are authorized data practices contacts as apparent or assigned.

5. How Do I Request Private or Non-Public Data About Myself?

You may request data by completing a form. You may complete and submit the Data Request Form online. Alternately, an electronic for can be emailed, a printed form can be mailed to you, or you may pick up a form at City Hall.

You have the right to look at (inspect), free of charge, public and private data that we keep about you.  You also have the right to get copies of public and private data about you. The Government Data Practices Act allows us to charge for copies. You have the right to look at data, free of charge, before deciding to request copies.  Also, if you ask, we will tell you whether we keep data about you and whether the data are public, private, or confidential. When requesting data classified as private data, you must show valid ID to verify that you are authorized to access the private or nonpublic data in the City’s possession.

As a parent, you have the right to look at and get copies of public and private data about your minor children (under the age of 18). As a legally appointed guardian, you have the right to look at and get copies of public and private data about an individual for whom you are appointed guardian.

Minors have the right to ask the City not to give data about them to their parent or guardian. If you are a minor, we will tell you that you have this right. We may ask you to put your request in writing and to include the reasons that we should deny your parents access to the data. We will make the final decision about your request based on your best interests. 

6. What Kind of Data Might We Have About You?

The Government Data Practices Act presumes that all government data are public unless a state or federal law says that the data are not public. Data about you are classified by state law as public, private, or confidential.

Public data

If we have public data, we must give public data to anyone who asks. It does not matter who is asking for the data or why the person wants the data. The following are examples of some of the public data the City may have about you:

• Your name and address on a business license
• An email you sent a City staff member regarding a City business item
• Your application to serve on a City Commission
• Utility billing information

Private Data

We cannot give private data to the general public, but you can have access to private data when the data are about you. We can share your private data with you, with someone who has your permission, with our government entity staff who have a work assignment to see the data, and to others, as permitted by law or court order. The following are examples of private data the City may have about you:

• Your social security number on a business license application
• Your contact information when you sign up for electronic updates from the City
• Your contact and personal information when you sign up for City recreational programs

 Confidential Data

Confidential data have the most protection. Neither the public nor you can get access even when the confidential data are about you. We can share confidential data about you with our government entity staff who have a work assignment to see the data, and to others, as permitted by law or court order. We cannot give you access to confidential data. The following is an example of confidential data about you:

• Any information about you that is currently part of an open police investigation
• Any identifying information in an email you sent a City staff member regarding a concern you have about someone's property
• Any identifying information about you when you report potential child or vulnerable adult abuse or neglect

7. When Do You Collect Private Data About Me?

The City collects and keeps only those data about you that we need for administering and managing programs and services that are permitted by law. There is a presumption that all data are public unless there is a law that makes it not public.

When we ask you to provide data about yourself that are not public, we must give you a notice. This privacy notice is sometimes called a Tennessen warning and it controls what we do with the data that we collect from you. Usually, we can use and release the data only in the ways described in the notice.

We will ask for your written permission if we need to use or release private data about you in a different way, or if you ask us to release the data to another person. This permission is called informed consent. If you want us to release private data to another person, you must use the consent form we provide or another form approved by the City's Responsible Authority.

8. May I Request Summary Data?

Summary data are statistical records or reports that are prepared by removing all identifiers from private or confidential data on individuals. The preparation of summary data is not a means to gain access to private or confidential data. The City is not required to compile data or summary data not already in existence.

9. What Do You Do To Protect My Data?

The Government Data Practices Act requires us to protect your data. We have established appropriate safeguards to ensure that your data are safe from internal or external security breaches.

In the unfortunate event that we determine a security breach has occurred and an unauthorized person has gained access to your data, we will notify you as required by law.