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Rockbridge County staff reviews FOIA, COIA obligations in public training
Summary
County staff walked supervisors through Virginia FOIA and the Conflicts of Interest Act (COIA), stressing that most written records made in the conduct of public business are public, that texts and personal emails may be subject to disclosure, and that supervisors should forward potential public records to the county FOIA address for tracking.
Mr. Dryden, a county staff member who led the training, told the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 24 that the purpose of the training was to explain legal obligations under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the state Conflicts of Interest Act (COIA), and to describe county procedures for complying with those laws.
The presentation opened with the core principle that "when everything that is produced in the conduct of doing business, the public business is a public document," Mr. Dryden said, adding that the county treats drafts and notes as potential public records if they contain substantive information.
Why it matters: The training reminded elected officials that failure to follow FOIA timing rules can trigger court enforcement and fines. Mr. Dryden warned that FOIA requests have become a frequent tool for outside groups and law firms to seek records and,…
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