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City of Missoula, Montana Item to be Referred to City Council Committee Committee: PAZ Item: Review Cost of Planning Documents Available for Public Purchase Date: September 22, 2010 Prepared by: Dave Strohmaier Initiated by: Dave Strohmaier Action Required: Review Cost of Planning Documents Available for Public Purchase Recommended Motion: Informational Item Timeline: Referral to committee: September 22, 2010 Committee discussion: TBD Background and Alternatives Explored: Today, when I was provided an updated copy of Title 20, I was somewhat taken aback by the $25 price tag on the cover. I can understand paying this much for a good book at one of our local purveyors of fine literature; I’m less confident that we should be charging citizens this much for a photocopied chunk of Missoula Municipal Code. And while it is great that planning documents are posted online, not everyone has access to or competence in accessing the internet. This discussion is intended to address the following questions: How many people on an annual basis purchase planning documents Title 20, neighborhood plans, etc.) from the city? What is the basis for computing the cost of a document like Title 20? What, if any, planning documents are free to the public, and is there a formalized administrative policy that distinguishes between what is free and what is not? Of course, this begs the broader question of what printed materials we should be charging the public in a more general sense: e.g., copies of the city budget, etc. Financial Implications: Unknown at this time