[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6656438,"mediaKeyId","5331529-e6b2cf41939544ce44b231847a24aec2","parentId",5331529,"title","Lynchburg council defers rules overhaul to Aug. 26, advances calendar and goes into closed session for board appointments","audioSeconds",873,"startMs",7657000,"endMs",8530000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5331529-e6b2cf41939544ce44b231847a24aec2&start=7657&end=8530","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5331529-e6b2cf41939544ce44b231847a24aec2/thumbnail_7657000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6656438/Lynchburg/Campbell-County/Virginia/Lynchburg-council-defers-rules-overhaul-to-Aug-26-advances-calendar-and-goes-into-closed-session-for-board-appointments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6656438-25d6cde245b8d2fa79b40a3ef69731f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771215001&Signature=AaVEhQg1lvNYv6VOHfWMTnankeBOtN~mvyoR6BJBJBLPPdYd739NEac-eSKgThnjdbkZkdeepp~SwK0-8M6m2jM88yVOH1gQ2St6AYtN33~DCSRAcKXVe8z1egjtFLv1GDCocxrvyVQrZ10Zv5lqYTlrrDCzjkxqyNJWXT45W-gPxJVALeR7BoM1Koxcmt3jrCUjhd2IjqALokh2baJUFmTXHilMV5aJS6O3BmCWXl6im9h3FmeorMVuDbUolLMneRjx7h3Q7f~TAr~GM3~Y9rzwoDJ7Zlh5b5W7fUOmicsplCCMmrpZiyF1ImEpox1zzgm25JOsoVxUO4TujkQ1rw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lynchburg","date","2025-07-08T19:53:50Z","article","Lynchburg City Council members on July 8 agreed to delay a full rules‑of‑procedure discussion until a future work session and moved to adopt changes to the city's 2025 meeting calendar. After the calendar discussion, the council voted to enter closed session to consider appointments to several boards and commissions.

Council members and staff discussed logistics for where to hold work sessions and committee meetings. Some members preferred the informal upstairs training/committee room for work sessions because it fosters discussion; others noted the larger council chamber provides more seating for public attendance. Council member Reed said she likes \"sitting around a table, working through things, and then going into the chamber for the really formal setting.\" Staff said the calendar change would allow committee meetings to be recorded in the training room and asked the council to vote on the amended calendar so staff could finalize schedules for the remainder of 2025 and set the 2026 calendar.

After limited discussion the council agreed to vote on the calendar and to defer the substantive rules debate to the Aug. 26 work session. The council then moved into closed session. A motion was made \"that we enter closed session for consideration of a closed meeting to discuss appointments for vacancies to the following boards and commissions: Central Virginia Community College Board, City Employees Appeal Board, Economic Development Authority, Historic Preservation Commission, Martin Luther King Junior Lynchburg Community Council, Museum Advisory Board, Lynchburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and building code of appeals board pursuant to section 2.2 dash 3 7 1 1 a 1 of the code of Virginia,\" after which the council took a roll call and recessed into closed session.

The transcript records the roll‑call acknowledgements immediately before the closed session: Council member Peralta, council member Admissions, Council member Reid, Council member Timmer, Council member Boyle and Vice Mayor Emery all answered in the affirmative during the roll call that initiated the closed session. The body recorded \"We are now in closed session\" at the end of the roll call. The transcript does not contain a read‑back of an official vote tally on the calendar item in the public portion of the meeting.

The motion cited the legal authority for closed‑session discussion as the closed‑meeting statutory provision in the Virginia Code (as read aloud in the meeting). The council did not take further public action on appointments in the transcripted portion; any appointment votes or names discussed in closed session are not recorded in the public transcript and must be released as required by law if a public decision is later taken.

Council members also discussed practical meeting logistics: if the training room fills, staff said an overflow location and streaming can be used and that the council may recess and reconvene in another room in the same building when necessary. Several members asked broadcast staff whether a rapid move between rooms for overflow would be feasible. City legal staff advised there's no FOIA prohibition on recessing and reconvening in another public location as long as public notice and access requirements are met.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lynchburg City Council Work Session 7-8-2025","oneSentenceSummary","On July 8 the Lynchburg City Council agreed to postpone detailed rules‑of‑procedure debate to Aug. 26, directed staff to finalize a revised 2025 calendar and then entered a closed session to consider appointments to multiple boards and commissions under Va. Code §2.2‑3711(A)(1).","taxTitle","Lynchburg, Campbell County, Virginia","taxId",3745,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6656443,"Virginia FOIA attorney briefs Lynchburg City Council on records, meeting and fee rules",6495,570000,7065000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5331529-e6b2cf41939544ce44b231847a24aec2&start=570&end=7065","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5331529-e6b2cf41939544ce44b231847a24aec2/thumbnail_570000.jpg","/articles/6656443/Lynchburg/Campbell-County/Virginia/Virginia-FOIA-attorney-briefs-Lynchburg-City-Council-on-records-meeting-and-fee-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6656443-3585227935cc3c5e23d7031e5d7eaef6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771215001&Signature=Jk1zPXzC8L8LXaINgqsp~MUri-rAu9uRMf9T7GQwTT-5s~Wc~1uJqKpQz8Pjb2Y1ffImVmUckFT067EbbvIiEwwBMHN270YkcqEVW7gkSJC5HLhXnjjW51v7YthWXZARXzEexqtaMrQpbyeJF0HG6AmkWQcW~rqBe6fNZszyql3nECl1ZWvA3foMh5O-KrWfmTnix4IPpoKYQoQ3r62M7TtYqD62eoNN4poJyqOLhM9bLVAXRlNhGd2OmtNOJxp3q4YJPacCty60dckPtDD0oRxStWnjTKj7sIFynSJ1vk57bBzo4kcxYlrGFaY9LVOm2lenrduv86mRQU7qtFd2GQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Joseph Underwood, a senior attorney with the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, delivered the Lynchburg City Council's biennial FOIA training during the council's July 8 work session.

Underwood told the council that \"the law presumes that the records would be open unless otherwise provided by law,\" and that Virginia's FOIA chapter in Title 2.2 is interpreted narrowly around specific exemptions. He described the council's responsibilities on public records and public meetings, explained common exemptions and timelines, and answered questions about fees, deposits and records held on personal devices.

Underwood walked the council through response timing and fees: public bodies must respond within five working days after receipt of a request, with limited tolling if the requester asks for an estimate or if the estimated cost is $200 or more and the requester is asked to make a deposit. He said fee estimates should be tied to \"the actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching\" records and noted that courts decide whether a fee or a labor charge is reasonable. Underwood described the deposit rule repeatedly: \"If it's $200 or more, they can require deposit,\" and he recommended providing an estimate promptly because the FOIA clock continues to run until an estimate is provided or payment is made.

On exemptions and redactions, Underwood said many FOIA exemptions are discretionary and custodians must narrowly apply them. He described the working‑papers or executive deliberation protection used by chief executives' offices and emphasized that disclosures can waive protections: \"Once something gets disclosed, it's no longer working paper,\" he said. He cited examples including personnel matters, attorney‑client communications, and contract–procurement deliberations, and warned against releasing bank account numbers or other sensitive financial identifiers without redaction.

Underwood also reviewed open‑meetings rules, including what constitutes a \"meeting\" for FOIA purposes and the risk of gatherings of three or more members discussing public business outside notice. He summarized the three basic FOIA meeting requirements: public notice with date/time/location, openness to the public (including the public's right to record), and minutes that record attendance, subject matter and votes.

Council members asked detailed procedural and practical questions. Topics included: whether FOIA follows a device or the office (Underwood: FOIA follows the public record, not the device); how to treat out‑of‑state requesters; what constitutes a \"reasonable specificity\" in a request; and when electronic transmissions or group emails risk creating an improper meeting. He advised caution on group emails and chats and recommended using blind copies or other safeguards to avoid the appearance of a serial meeting.

At the conclusion of the training, a council member praised the session as valuable: \"This is some of the best training I've seen received on FOIA,\" the member said. Underwood offered the council his office's written guidance and advisory opinions, noting there is a searchable repository of opinions and guides on the FOIA Advisory Council website.

The training emphasized procedural compliance — prompt written responses, narrow application of exemptions, careful fee estimates tied to documented labor, and clear closed‑meeting motions and certifications — and encouraged the council to consult the FOIA advisory office early when difficult requests arise.","At a July 8 work session, Joseph Underwood of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council gave the council its biennial FOIA training, reviewing public‑records timelines, common exemptions, fee calculations and open‑meetings rules, and answering detailed questions from council members and staff.","actionData","errors"]

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Lynchburg council defers rules overhaul to Aug. 26, advances calendar and goes into closed session for board appointments

Virginia FOIA attorney briefs Lynchburg City Council on records, meeting and fee rules