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 determine the cost for accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for requested records, the personnel (whether one or more) who have custody of and/or responsibility for the requested records shall, based upon the scope of the records request, make a good faith estimate of the time it will take such personnel to assemble the requested records, then multiply that time by the approximate hourly rate that such personnel are paid, based on their then current annual salary, using 2000 working hours per year, based on a presumed 40 hour work week, 50 working weeks per year, and 2 weeks vacation per year. Once that total cost is determined, it shall be forwarded to the Town's FOIA agent to be submitted to the requester, if so requested by the requester. If the actual time that it takes such personnel to assemble the requested records turns out to be less than the estimated time, then that lesser time shall be multiplied by the hourly rate as determined above, and the new, total cost shall be forwarded to the Town's FOIA agent, to be submitted and charged to the requester.

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 including the requester's physical address, 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 1113, 101 Dublin Park Road, Room 203, Dublin, Virginia 24084, or by e-mail to: scampbell@dublintown.org .

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