Grand Rapids man sues village over cost of photocopying bill

8/11/2001

BOWLING GREEN - A Grand Rapids, Ohio, man who requested 638 pages of public records from the village of Grand Rapids has gone to court over what he sees as an unreasonable bill for copies.

In a complaint filed in Wood County Common Pleas Court, Rick Bidlack said the village clerk informed him the copies would cost 50 cents a page for a total of $319.

Ohio law requires that public documents be copied at a reasonable cost and that labor may not be charged, only the cost of the copies.

Mr. Bidlack, who requested a variety of village financial records, said in his complaint that it was not the first time he had made such a request, nor the last.

“Each and every attempt on Mr. Bidlack's part has been met with hostility and refusal on the part of the village of Grand Rapids, Ohio,” it states.

Mr. Bidlack wants the court to order the village to charge a reasonable cost and to pay his attorney and court fees. The case has been assigned to Judge Charles Kurfess.