Transparency News, 12/9/21 – Virginia Coalition for Open Government

Thursday
December 9, 2021

state & local news stories

The Supreme Court of Virginia posted a proposed map of Congressional districts. And you can add a comment right next to the map itself!
https://www.virginiaredistricting.org/legdistricting/comments/plan/513/1

Portsmouth is getting into the podcast game. Portsmouth is joining a host of municipal governments around the country using podcasts to deliver important and timely information to residents. Titled “Let’s Talk, Portsmouth,” the city’s podcast will post on a third-party hosting (Podbean.com) site on the first and third Thursdays of the month. “Let’s Talk, Portsmouth” will tell long-form stories about diverse city departments around the city and their variety of services.
WAVY

editorials & opinion

“In other words, in response to a query about how your tax dollars are spent, an agency effectively said, ‘Neener! Neener! You can’t make me!’”

Throughout the United States, most federal courts and many state courts offer remote electronic access to civil court records. Virginia does not. The AG’s office concedes that there is indeed a First Amendment, and that it does grant right to access, but that this freedom does not mandate remote access “to avoid a trip to the courthouse.” That seems a little high-handed. Suppose you’re in Fredericksburg, but have a vested interest in a circuit court proceeding in Roanoke. The trip to the courthouse is about seven hours round-trip.
The Free Lance-Star

I recently exchanged a few emails with a journalist having trouble getting public records under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act. The requested records sound rather innocuous. He wants the contractual arrangements between a state agency and a private business, in part to learn how much money the public body is forking out to the company. The gist of his problem: Because this man lives in another state, the agency says it does not have to release public records to him. When I saw the reason for refusal, I did what I do any time I have a question about the law: I read it again. So while anyone may request public information, only someone who is a resident of South Carolina may ask a court to enforce the provisions of FOIA, and because of that limitation, this agency suggested it doesn’t have to release the information. In other words, in response to a query about how your tax dollars are spent, an agency effectively said, “Neener! Neener! You can’t make me!” Such a denial is telling. Instead of fostering a culture of openness and transparency, this agency wants to find excuses to keep records from the public.
Matthew Hensley, Index-Journal