The Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) is intended to provide the public with access to information governmental affairs. The law requires public access to virtually all public records, with a few exceptions, most records are available for public inspection. Each state agency and local governmental entities have designated a records custodian to whom requests to inspect records should be addressed. To request to inspect records from this office please send a written request to:
Records Custodian
Doña Ana Soil and Water Conservation District
760 Stern Drive, Suite 118
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88005
Phone: 575-649-9314
E-mail: c.buchman@daswcd.org
A copy of the IPRA can be found HERE: https://bit.ly/2VPBuFJ
NOTICE OF RIGHT TO INSPECT PUBLIC RECORDS
By law, under the Inspection of Public Records Act, every person has the right to inspect public records of the Doña Ana Soil and Water Conservation District (DASWCD). The Act also makes compliance with requests to inspect public records an integral part of the routine duties of the officers and employees of DASWCD.
Procedures for Requesting Inspection
A person desiring to inspect public records may submit a request to the records custodian via electronic mail or in writing. A response from the records custodian will be in the same medium as the request. The records custodian will provide the record requested in the file format in which the record exists. The request must contain the name, address and telephone number of the person making the request. The request must describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable the records custodian to identify and locate the requested records.
The records custodian must permit inspection immediately or as soon as practicable, but no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian receives the inspection request. If inspection is not permitted within three (3) business days, the person making the request will receive a response explaining when the records will be available for inspection or when the public body will respond to the request. If any of the records sought are not available for public inspection, the person making the request is entitled to a response from the records custodian explaining the reasons inspection has been denied. The denial shall be delivered or mailed within fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian received the request for inspection.
Procedures for Requesting Copies and Fees
If a person requesting inspection would like a copy of a public record, a reasonable fee may be charged. The fee for documents eleven inches by seventeen inches or smaller is $1.00 per page. The fee for larger documents is $2.00 per page. For records other than documents, the reasonable fee is $6.75 for videos/DVDs and $2.75 for audio tapes. When producing documents in electronic format, the requester will be charged the actual costs associated with downloading copies of public records to a storage device and the actual cost of the storage device. The actual cost of transmitting the public records may also be charged. The records custodian may request that applicable fees for copying public records be paid in advance, before the copies are made. A receipt indicating that the fees have been paid for making copies of public records will be provided upon request to the person requesting the copies.
