Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Freedom Of Information topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Carmel board hears rising FOIL costs and discusses posting recurring releases to cut fees
Summary
At the Oct. 29 Carmel board meeting, administrators said FOIL-related vendor and attorney costs rose from about $27,405 (July 2022–June 2023) to $64,166 (July 2023–June 2024); trustees urged publishing recurring FOIL results proactively to reduce repeated requests and budget pressure.
CARMEL, N.Y. — The Carmel Central School District on Oct. 29 reviewed the district’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) process after public questions about redactions and the cost of responding to requests.
The superintendent told the board the district has used outside vendors to process FOIL requests and cited year-by-year spending: “From July 2022 through June 2023, we spent 27,405 on FOILs,” the superintendent said. “From July 2023 to June 2024, with Brickfield, we've spent 64,166,” and for July 2024–June 2025 the superintendent reported $18,270 to date, figures that include attorney fees.
Jerry Lee, a resident who spoke during public comment, criticized resume redactions for superintendent candidates and cited a FOIL he said disclosed a disciplinary settlement in which a teacher “agreed to pay a $7,000 fine and will retire in June 2026,” raising questions about how personnel matters are summarized and redacted.
Trustees discussed ways to manage FOIL demand and reduce costs. Trustee Barnes suggested placing frequently requested datasets (enrollment, budgets, recurring reports) proactively on the district website to avoid repetitive FOIL searches. Trustees also requested FOIL data in machine-searchable form (an Excel or native spreadsheet rather than a PDF) to make internal handling and public searches easier.
Administrators said some FOIL responses contain redacted material for legitimate personnel privacy and legal reasons, and that some FOILs require extensive email searches where vendor support was used so district staff could remain focused on operational priorities.
The board asked administration to provide more digestible, line-item FOIL cost reports and to return with options for proactively publishing commonly requested information. No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; trustees asked that the administration return with a clearer contract summary, line-item costs and a plan to post recurring FOIL results online.
