Two FOIA Council subcommittees met yesterday. VCOG was satisfied with some results, alarmed at others. Let’s start with the alarm, which is that the subcommittee recommended sending an as-yet undrafted proposal to include a definition in FOIA of the term “personal information.”

Gordonville Police were involved in several Greene County Sheriff’s Office task force operations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between the months of June and August — including a major operation where 49 individuals were arrested, leaving dozens of vehicles scattered along the highway in Ruckersville — according to documents obtained by Charlottesville Tomorrow through a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents also provide evidence that Police Chief Chris Votaw likely participated in the June 23 traffic enforcement operation that has prompted an investigation by state Attorney General Jay Jones. And despite ongoing calls for transparency from residents, Votaw will not answer whether he or his officers took part in that operation. … Timesheets included in the records request list nearly 50 total hours spent by Gordonsville officers on ICE assignments with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office through Sept. 17, including an assignment noted as “Operation with Greene County SO” on Aug. 3. … Two Gordonsville officers also spent a combined 17 hours working an unspecified task force operation on June 23. According to the timesheets, the officers were on assignment between the hours of 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. That’s roughly the same timeframe when Greene County Sheriff’s Office and ICE arrested 49 individuals in the major traffic operation. No other high-profile ICE operations were reported in Virginia that day. Although their names are redacted, ICE payroll documents list the salaries of both Gordonsville officers certified under the 287(g) program. Credentialed Officer 1, or “Cred 1,” has a salary or $93,784. That’s significantly higher than any police officer salary under Gordonsville’s current pay scale, but it is the exact salary for Votaw, who also serves as Deputy Town Manager. His salary was also confirmed by the town clerk.

Hampton Roads Ventures backed a $12 million investment in a grocery store in rural Marion, $10 million for a farm equipment distribution center in Martinsville and $3 million for a supermarket in Louisiana in the past year. And once again, none of its projects were in Norfolk. More than four years ago, Norfolk’s City Council passed a resolution requiring the for-profit subsidiary of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority to seek projects in the city. Year after year, the annual report required by that resolution shows no progress supporting a project in the city. This year’s report, filed on Sept. 30, does not outline any efforts to invest in Norfolk or the region. … HRV’s lawyer has said its investment decisions are led by an advisory board scattered across the country. But it’s not clear when or whether the board meets. HRV has denied public records requests despite the company being a subsidiary of NRHA, a public body subject to records requests. Similar entities, like the nonprofit Chicago Development Fund (CDF), hold public meetings of their governing and advisory boards. Norfolk’s city council has no control over HRV, although it appoints NRHA commissioners, some of whom serve on the HRV board. HRV is wholly owned by the NRHA.