Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act permits residents of Virginia and media operating in Virginia to request from public bodies, such as the Town of Dublin, information, usually records kept in the ordinary course of the public body’s business, which are considered ‘available to the public’ under the Act. Such information generally includes revenues and expenditures of the Town and ordinances, resolutions, or other actions adopted or taken by the Town’s Council.

The Act authorizes a public body to exclude various information, including (but not limited to) information which is confidential, associated with active law enforcement investigations or actions, personal, involves minors, or pertains to private individuals or entities, and a public body has no obligation to specially create information which the public body does not already have.

A public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records and shall make all reasonable efforts to supply the requested records at the lowest possible cost. No public body shall 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 public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. Prior to conducting a search for records, the public body shall notify the requester in writing that the public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for requested records and inquire of the requester whether he would like to request a cost estimate in advance of the supplying of the requested records as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.

To request information from the Town of Dublin, the requester must submit a written request which (i) identifies the requester, (ii) provides contact information for the requester, and (iii) identifies the information being requested with reasonable specificity, to the Town of Dublin’s FOIA officer: Samuel D. Campbell, Esq. at P.O. Box 945, 233 East Main Street, Pulaski, Virginia 24301.

For additional information, the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council may be contacted at: http://foiacouncil.dls.virginia.gov/foiacouncil.htm