Baltimore, MD "Smart City" Documentation

Rebecca Williams filed this request with the Baltimore Bureau Of Procurement of Baltimore, MD.
Status
Completed

Communications

From: Rebecca Williams


To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Maryland Public Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

This request for contract documents purchased or in operation by this agency for the period from 1/1/2015 - present from the following vendors or associated persons: Persistent Surveillance Systems, Open Mobility Foundation or Lacuna, Under Armor or Kevin Plank, Citiwatch, ABB, Cisco, or Itron.

These records will be used to inform research on “smart city system” best practices as part of Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs’ Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project that culminates on May 31, 2021. To accommodate this deadline and inclusion in analysis please expedite this request.

Because of our not-for-profit status and the fact that this request is about a matter in the public interest, I request a fee waiver. If you have any questions or would like to discuss narrowing the request, please contact me directly at rebeccawilliams@hks.harvard.edu or ‪(857) 400-0323.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Williams

From: Baltimore Bureau Of Procurement

Rebecca Williams,

The Baltimore City Department of Finance (“DOF”) is in receipt of your records request below. This request is governed by the Maryland Public Information Act (“PIA”), codified in Sections 4-101 et seq. of the General Provisions Article of the Maryland Code. A request for public information under the PIA must be submitted to the custodian of public records. Md. Code, Gen. Prov., § 4-202(a). Each governmental entity is the custodian of its own records. See Baltimore City Code, Art. 1 § 10-1. This response is on behalf of DOF.

The search for the documents you have requested and their review may take more than 10-days due to the volume of documentation you requested and the fact that many City personnel are teleworking with limited access to hard copies of responsive files. Once the documents are gathered, we will then know the volume of the responsive documentation. The PIA allows the government to charge for any time past two hours that it takes to gather, review and redact, if necessary, any documents requested at the rate of the employee performing the work after giving the first two hours labor for free. Md. Code, Gen. Prov., § 4-206; accord Md. Public Information Act Compliance Board Opinion 16-05. If there are a substantial number of documents to review that will take us more than two hours, we will let you know of the cost and where to send payment, which is required before any documents will be reviewed. See, e.g., Ireland v. Shearin, 417 Md. 401, n. 412, n.8 (2010).

We will let you know as soon as the documents are gathered if there will be any charges associated with your request.

Nothing in this response is intended to indicate that any records sought from City agencies exist or to waive any privileges held by the Mayor and City Council. You may contest this response by filing a complaint in Circuit Court pursuant to PIA Section § 4-362.

Sincerely,

[cid:image001.png@01D9502E.96BA26C0]<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.baltimorecity.gov%2F&data=05%7C01%7CAhleah.Knapp%40baltimorecity.gov%7C7b1e63fb066144740d8f08db1e6fa302%7C312cb126c6ae4fc2800d318e679ce6c7%7C0%7C0%7C638137237075316902%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mn0tnOouLIdsQApN0rsJczmvosLIWQalaesaMh8rWqQ%3D&reserved=0>
Department of Law
Ahleah Knapp
Legal Specialist
Advice & Opinions Practice Group
Baltimore City Department of Law
100 N. Holliday Street, Suite 101
Baltimore, MD 21202
ahleah.knapp@baltimorecity.gov<mailto:ahleah.knapp@baltimorecity.gov>

From: Baltimore Bureau Of Procurement

Dear Rebecca Williams,
As you know, the Baltimore City Department of Finance (“DOF”) is in receipt of your records request. This request is governed by the Maryland Public Information Act (“PIA”), codified in Sections 4-101 et seq. of the General Provisions Article of the Maryland Code. A request for public information under the PIA must be submitted to the custodian of public records. Md. Code, Gen. Prov., § 4-202(a). Each governmental entity is the custodian of its own records. See Baltimore City Code, Art. 1 § 10-1.
This response is on behalf of DOF and the responsive documents are attached. Confidential commercial or financial information has been selectively redacted from this production, which includes any materials that were provided on the assurance of confidentiality, or that would cause substantial harm to ABB’s and/or Itron’s position if disclosed to the public. See, e.g., Amster v. Baker, 453 Md. 68,81 (2017); see also Food Marketing Institute v. Argus, 139 S.Ct. 2356, 2366 (2019). This includes redacting the names and contact information of key employees. See, e.g., Audio Technical Services Ltd v. Department of the Army, 487 F. Supp. 779, 782 (D.D.C. 1980).
Nothing in this response is intended to indicate that any records sought from City agencies exist or to waive any privileges held by the Mayor and City Council. You may contest this response by filing a complaint in the Circuit Court pursuant to PIA Section § 4-362.

Best regards,
Teresa Cummings
[cid:image001.png@01D96899.986DFBD0]<http://www.baltimorecity.gov/>

Teresa Epps Cummings
Assistant Solicitor, General Counsel Division
Baltimore City Department of Law
100 N. Holliday Street, Suite 101
Baltimore, MD 21202
Teresa.Cummings@baltimorecity.gov
Office: (410) 396-0295
Fax: (410) 547-1025

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