MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Changes are coming to Michigan's Freedom of Information Act this summer.

Some of those changes include not being able to charge a fee for a FOIA request unless it has established guidelines and provides a form that shows what each fee is. Townships also will be required to have a public summary that explains how the process works.

Meridian township Clerk Brett Dreyfus says although the Township already has these policies on the request form, the new laws are a way to make this the standard for townships across the state.

"We're going to develop a set of written procedures. There's already a number of recommended templates that different organizations are providing. We're going to customize those for Meridian Township and then we post those on our website as well," Dreyfus said.

Dreyfus says that most townships, including Meridian, don't currently post those procedures on their websites. The new law goes into effect on July 1st.