Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the FOI Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council debate turns to FOI and transparency as member accuses mayor of withholding Flat Iron records
Summary
A council member said a December FOI request went unacknowledged and accused the mayor of withholding information related to Flat Iron; town attorneys said FOI statutes require acknowledgement within four days and that 'promptness' for production is a case-by-case legal standard.
At the same meeting where residents urged a moratorium on a proposed battery storage site, town council member Ari Rosenberg pressed the mayor over a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by Hillary Ram, asserting the town failed to acknowledge or produce requested records and asking the council to evaluate whether the FOI was handled appropriately.
Rosenberg said he had emailed the mayor and formally asked that the FOI matter be added to the agenda and that the council vote on whether the town's handling of the request served the public interest. "Why did you fail to respond to Hillary's Freedom of Information Act request?" Rosenberg asked.
Town legal counsel responded that Connecticut law requires an acknowledgement of an FOI request within four days, but that the statutes do not specify a strict 20-day production deadline; instead, courts and the FOI Commission evaluate whether a response was provided 'promptly' based on volume and other factors. The attorney explained the formal venue for a dispute over response timeliness is the state Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC), which evaluates complaints and can mediate or hold hearings.
Rosenberg said constituents had not received the requested records dating to December and suggested the council could still express its view. Council attorneys cautioned that while members can voice opinions, a council vote on sufficiency would carry limited legal weight and that FOIC remains the statutory remedy. The exchange became heated at times as members argued about agenda procedure and whether the mayor had properly included items earlier in the meeting.
The meeting record shows that a FOI complaint had been filed with the FOIC, and the mayor and town attorney said they would gather records on how the request was handled and bring that acknowledgment record to the next council meeting.
What it means next: If residents or council members remain unsatisfied with the town's response, the FOIC complaint process (ombudsman, mediation, hearing) is the formal remedy. The council may place the issue on a future agenda for discussion; town attorneys recommended following FOIC procedures for dispute resolution.
Selected quote: "Under the FOI statutes, the town must acknowledge receipt of an FOI request within 4 days," the town attorney said. "Promptness for production is determined by the circumstances and has been litigated."
