Friday
February 10, 2023
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Contact us at vcog@opengovva.org
state & local news stories
VCOG’s annual legislative chart of FOIA and access-related bills
When faced with the prospect of having to livestream and archive video of public meetings, local governments across Virginia had wildly different ideas about what it might cost. The town of Marion estimated it’d have to spend $300,000 in the near term on “hiring personnel to operate, maintain, and log sessions, plus equipment purchase and maintenance,” according to state records. Prince George County said it might have to buy four high-definition cameras with ceiling mounts for $46,065, part of a total estimate of $138,056. Mecklenburg County, on the other hand, said it could be done for almost nothing. Despite numerous changes in the bill [carried by Del. Marie March, R-Floyd] meant to protect localities that, for whatever reason, can’t figure out how to put videos online without breaking the bank, the House of Delegates rejected the proposal this week on a 47-49 vote. Most Democrats voted for it. Most Republicans, including some who had previously voted for it in committee, opposed it. That indicates the bill’s defeat may have had as much to do with its controversial patron as the idea itself.
Virginia Mercury
Democratic-sponsored gun bills weren’t expected to get much support in the Virginia House of Delegates. But a few pieces of legislation died a faster death than normal Thursday as the Republican House and Democratic Senate feuded over protocols for hearing testimony from lawmakers in the other chamber. Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper, who chairs the House subcommittee that handles firearm-related legislation, said Thursday afternoon that he was not allowing some Democratic senators to pitch their bills after Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, didn’t let House patrons present their bills to her Senate Education and Health Committee Thursday morning.
Virginia Mercury
Members of Purcellville’s Town Council and staff attended a Wednesday night training session by the Virginia Risk Sharing Association on practicing civility in local government. The session was hosted by the town and members of other local jurisdictions were invited to attend, although Hamilton council member Heather Beardsley was the only attendee from outside Purcellville. Mayor Stanley J. Milan, Vice Mayor Christopher Bertaut and councilwomen Erin Rayner and Mary Jane Williams attended, as well as several members of Purcellville’s senior staff. The training was presented by VRSA Director of Education and Training Thomas Bullock and covered a variety of topics including the differences between discussion and dialogue, the top 10 consequences of incivility, why conflict occurs, respectful interaction, the importance of listening, and confirmation bias.
Loudoun Now
Ward 5 Town Council member Jay Heroux declared he has no personal interest or conflict of interest regarding the Amazon data center proposal up for town approval, according to a signed Conflict of Interest Act Declaration form filed with the town clerk in early January. In January, dozens of Warrenton residents penned a letter to Heroux asking him to recuse himself from voting on Amazon’s request for a special-use permit to build a data center in town behind the Country Chevrolet. The Town Council plans to hold a public hearing and potential vote on the data center proposal on Feb. 14 at Fauquier High School in the auditorium. On Monday, FauquierNow filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the town of Warrenton, requesting a copy of the town attorney’s written legal opinion stating whether he believes Heroux would be breaking the law by voting on the Amazon data center proposal because of the alleged business partnership between his employer, Definitive Logic Corporation, and the tech giant.
Fauquier Now
Before the start of his term, Quantico Town Council member-elect Steve Kang declined the seat to which he was elected in November, according to the Prince William County Office of Elections. No formal reason has been given. The tiny town, surrounded by U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico, had 14 candidates – or more than 2% of the town’s estimated 578 residents – on the ballot for five seats in 2022. Kang finished third in the election with 58 votes. Five incumbents were seeking reelection, and four of them lost: Rusty Kuhns, Earlene Clinton, Alice Toner and Robin Langham. Before being defeated, Kuhns was the most experienced sitting local elected official in the county, having held office since 2002. Following the election, one of the unsuccessful candidates contacted InsideNoVa with concerns about Kang’s eligibility for the office, saying he did not reside in the town at the time of the election.
InsideNoVa
stories of national interest
“It would also allow state and local government officials to deny citizens from viewing or accessing records that don’t have ‘substantial administrative or operational value’.”
Missouri lawmakers are weighing a bill that would limit the public’s ability to access government records and attend public meetings. The bill, filed by state Sen. Andrew Koenig, a Manchester Republican, is set to be heard Thursday morning by the Senate Governmental Accountability Committee. It would allow state and local government agencies to close certain meetings to the public for various security reasons. It would also allow state and local government officials to deny citizens from viewing or accessing records that don’t have “substantial administrative or operational value” — a definition that appears to give agencies sweeping authority to close records.
Governing
Lawmakers in the West Virginia Senate took steps on Thursday to restore the public’s ability to make FOIA requests related to the state’s jail and prison surveillance. The bill that passed the Senate unanimously restores the ability of the press and others to file requests for video, surveillance, and other jail records. “This will make sure that if a Freedom of Information Act Request allows access to that information, it will still be applicable,” said Senator Charles Trump, (R) Morgan County, the bill’s sponsor. While the measure is a step forward for public access, there are still a number of hurdles that remain for those trying to find out what is happening in the state’s jails and prisons.
WVVA