With two competing proposals on the agenda, the Richmond City Council will have to choose between the more comprehensive records library Council Member Kenya Gibson envisions or a narrower version proposed by Mayor Danny Avula that would give city officials greater discretion over what documents to publish. Neither plan would require the city to release more government records than it currently does. The city could still avoid publishing sensitive documents by invoking the wide variety of FOIA exemptions in Virginia law. The legislation only requires the city to make released records more widely available by publishing the documents online. Both ordinances will be taken up Wednesday afternoon at a meeting of the Council’s Governmental Operations Committee.
NOTE: VCOG will speak in support of the ordinance that provides broader access

Rockingham County School Board member Matt Cross faces another campaign-related fine of up to $500 — this time from the Rockingham County Registrar. Rockingham County Registrar Lisa Gooden sent a certified letter to Cross, dated Oct. 16, informing him that the county had no record of his campaign’s amended Statement of Organization, which can carry a fine of up to $500. The Citizen obtained the letter through a Freedom of Information Act request. The Virginia Department of Elections requires political committees that raise funds for candidates to file a Statement of Organization. This statement includes essential information, such as contact details like home mailing addresses and emails, as well as details about the campaign committee’s treasurer and other relevant items.

Two of the three organizations that received city funds meant to establish temporary walk-up shelters for homeless residents are now under investigation by City Hall’s watchdog agency. In response to Freedom of Information Act requests seeking records related to both organizations, Foster Curtiss, Richmond’s interim inspector general, declined to produce a total of 1,127 requested documents, citing a FOIA exemption that shields “investigative notes (and) correspondence furnished in confidence.” It’s not clear when City Hall’s inspector general began investigating, but officials appeared to pull the plug on the two shelters in November 2023.

Five members of the Town Council absolved former Town Attorney Bill Riddick of any accountability for billing taxpayers in excess of his contractual rate for seven years, to the tune of $99,000, according to an independent audit of his invoices. The decision, made after the latest in a string of closed-door meetings in recent weeks, continues a troubling, yearslong pattern of unaccountability and secrecy in town government. The council’s decision sets a dangerous precedent. You’re a longtime vendor for town government and don’t think you’re paid competitively? Don’t bother renegotiating your contract; just start billing taxpayers at a higher rate.

The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, enables a person to access federal agency records, but certain information is exempt from disclosure. The Postal Service has a special exemption that allows the organization to withhold commercial information if it would not be good business practice to publicly disclose that information. This exemption can apply to information that originates within USPS or from third parties, such as vendors and suppliers. Information is considered commercial if it relates to commerce, trade, profit or the Postal Service’s ability to conduct itself in a businesslike manner. Examples include service performance data and negotiated contract terms.