Miami Records Storage Bill Filed Under Past Due
Yet another reason to go paperless
Mary Schwind/ NBC Philadelphia
It's no secret the city of Miami is in pretty dire straits when it comes to cash, but when you are forced to fill out public records requests for your own records, it might be time to look at Chapter 11.
According to the Miami Herald, thousands of boxes of records that belong to the city are being held hostage by a storage facility in Broward County that claims it is owed over $340,000 in past due rent and other fees.
The records include everything from personnel files to city meeting minutes and agendas in the 40,000 or so boxes collecting dust in Broward.
The city says it only owes $22,000 to Iron Mountain Information Management, which is currently keeping a padlock on the records until Miami shows them the money.
The two sides had been doing business for about two years, but when the city decided to go with another company, things got a bit messy. Think of all the storage fees that you have no clue what they mean and multiply that by a city budget. It almost seems like the city is being charged per piece of paper at the facility.
The city attorney wants to take legal action against the storage company, which could be an even taller mountain to climb as fees continue to rise.
This dispute should speed up the process of going paperless. More than likely the city won't have a choice.
Posted Monday, Jul 26, 2010 - 2:59 PM EST
