PARIS — A sharp increase in Freedom of Access Act requests is costing Oxford County about $35,000 per year, according to Commissioner Lisa Keim of Dixfield, who is working with commissioners on how to handle the influx.

Lisa Keim
The Freedom of Access Act is a state statute meant to guarantee access to public records.
But during the past couple of years, the county has received a huge increase in requests from commercial institutions and lawyers. Requests from lawyers make up 60% of the total requests Oxford County receives.
Lawyers are either seeking information to try to find clients or seeking information that they would normally get through discovery,” Keim said.
Lawyers normally get discovery items for criminal cases through the District Attorney’s Office.
“We’re not sure the reason why,” Keim said. “The requests from lawyers have really exploded.”
The county must hire its own lawyer to review the request and make sure all confidential information is redacted.
Commercial operations may just be seeking information for sales, Keim said.
Keim, a former legislator, has worked with state Rep. Rachel Henderson, R-Rumford, to come up with a solution. Commercial requests at the federal level are a separate category than a request from a citizen, a practice she would like the state to follow that would provide some relief. Keim said her group is also working with the bar and the courts to see why the numbers have increased so much and why lawyers are using this channel to get information.
One of the things they are looking at is whether the backlog of court cases may be contributing to the sharp increase.
Keim does not oppose the FOAA statute, but believes the recent increase from groups that can get their information in other ways is overwhelming the system.
Other counties have joined Keim’s effort to cut down on the number of FOAA requests.
In other business
Commissioners sent the unorganized territory budget to the state for approval. The $2.48 million 75,650 increased by more than a half-million dollars.
Commissioners approved a grant request by the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office for an e-citation system, which would allow deputies to issue citations and tickets electronically from their cruisers.
The board also discussed the possibility of having some dispatching duties handled by Cumberland County during potential staffing shortages.
Due to high head counts at the jail, the board approved hiring an additional corrections officer.
Commissioners approved hiring Andrew Dameron as a part-time deputy.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.