Source: http://www.newmarketvirginia.com/government/freedom-of-information-act-foia/
Timestamp: 2017-03-27 14:34:36
Document Index: 572805967

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 2', '§ 2']

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) | The Town of New Market
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) FOIA Rights & Responsibilities
The Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of the Town of New Market, Virginia under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located at § 2.2-3700 et seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.
Citizens of Virginia and certain members of the media have the right to request to inspect or receive copies of public records, or both.
Citizens of Virginia and certain members of the media have the right to request that any charges for the requested records be estimated in advance. If you believe that your FOIA rights have been violated, you may file a petition in district or circuit court to compel compliance with FOIA. Alternatively, you may contact the FOIA Council for a nonbinding advisory opinion.
To request records from the Town, you may direct your request to:
Mike Ritchie, Town Manager
Office (540) 740-3850 Fax (540) 740-9204 E-mail m.ritchie@newmarketvirginia.com
You may also contact either of the above individuals with questions you have concerning requesting records from the Town. In addition, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council is available to answer any questions you may have about FOIA. The Freedom of Information Advisory Council may be contacted by e-mail at foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov, or by phone at (804) 225-3056 or [toll free] 1-866-448-4100.
The Town may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records. The Town shall not impose any extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating or maintaining records or transacting the general business of the Town. Any duplicating fee charged by the Town shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. All charges for the supplying of requested records shall be estimated in advance at the request of the citizen as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.
Types of records The following is a general, but not an exhaustive, description of the types of records held by the Town:
Minutes from meetings of the Town Council or committees
Correspondence with Town staff and members of the Town Council
Records related to taxes collected by the Town
Records prepared by or for the Town Attorney, including but not limited to memoranda and correspondence
Information related to the finances of the Town, including the Town budget and expenditures of Town departments
Records related to real property located within the Town, including zoning records
Records created by Town staff related to the general business and function of the Town and its departments
Records created by the Town Police Department, including criminal investigative records, incident reports, and call logs
The Code of Virginia allows the Town to withhold certain records from public disclosure. Although the Town may elect to withhold any record which is exempt or excluded from the Freedom of Information Act, the Town commonly withholds records subject to the following exemptions:
Financial account numbers (§ 2.2-3705.1 (13)) and public utility account numbers (§ 2.2-3705.7(7))
Personal information provided to the Town for the purpose of receiving electronic mail from the Town. (§ 2.2-3705.1 (10))
Working papers and correspondence of the Town Manager (§ 2.2-3705.7 (2))
Confidential tax information acquired by the Treasurer in the performance of his/her duties (§ 2.2-3705.7(1))
Criminal investigative files (§ 2.2-3706(A)(2)) and other records maintained by the Town’s Police Department which contain identifying information that would jeopardize the safety or privacy of any person.
Policy regarding the use of exemptions Any record will be withheld if the release of that record would violate state or federal law. If the release of a record is discretionary under the Freedom of Information Act, the Town will evaluate whether to release the record on a case-by-case basis. In general, the Town has the following policies:
The general policy of the Town is to invoke the personnel records exemption in those instances where it applies in order to protect the privacy of employees and officials of the Town.
The general policy of the Town is to invoke the contract negotiations exemption whenever it applies in order to protect the Town’s bargaining position and negotiating strategy.
The general policy of the Town is to invoke the exemption for records subject to the attorney-client privilege or attorney work product privilege whenever these privileges apply.
The general policy of the Town is to invoke the exemption for records which are working papers and correspondence of the Town Manager whenever this exemption applies.
The general policy of the Town is to invoke exemptions which protect the personal information of Town residents, including but not limited to the exemptions for financial account numbers and public utility account numbers.
The general policy of the Town is to invoke exemptions for criminal investigative files and other records maintained by the Town’s police department whenever an exemption applies.