UPCOMING: - Tuesday, July 12th - BOARD OF SUPERVISORS - 10:00am Zoning Work Session followed by 2:00/7:30 regular monthly meeting. - Wednesday, July 27th - PLANNING COMMISSION - 7:30pm Courthouse ------------------------------------------------------------------------- RURAL NELSON MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, July 6, 2005 At the Rural Nelson Office (622 Front Street) Conny Roussos opened the meeting at 7:30 and we all introduced ourselves. Conny then introduced Lee Albright who was present to speak about the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. He learned about the usefulness of this act while attempting to get the Montebello and other state fish hatcheries reopened to the public. The state fish culture stations had been closed to visitation as a cost cutting measure during the budget crisis beginning in 2002. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries insisted that additional staff was needed to open the Montebello facility to the public and they did not have the funds to hire more personnel. To enable this valuable tourist attraction of Nelson County to remain open the Board of Supervisors approved $3.000.00 be given to VDGIF to hire a seasonal employee. During the summer of 2003 this was done, but the staffing level didn't increase, it actually decreased. This raised the question of how VDGIF was spending their money. Lee used the FOIA to obtain budget information. FOIA guarantees that · all citizens of the Commonwealth have the right to see or obtain copies of public records · citizens can request an estimate of the cost to obtain the information · citizens have the right to legally compel compliance Requests can be made verbally, electronically, or in writing. The latter is preferable. Lee suggested that you be as specific as possible about what you want, but you do not have to state why you want the information. The agency should make every effort to comply within 5 working days or declare why they can't and request additional time. Some information is protected and is therefore exempt from FOIA. The law clearly states the exemptions. An example is personnel information. If information is protected it may be blackened out (redacted) on a record, but the exemption must be referenced by the specific section from the Code of Virginia. Many state offices are putting basic information on disc which you can purchase or even view online. You can be charged for the cost of providing the requested information. This may include search time as well as duplicating. You should request an estimate if you think there could be staff time or other hidden costs involved. One of the legal issues Lee had with VDGIF was that their estimates were sometimes too open ended and had the possibility of being exorbitant. Citizens can request to view the documents in person before requesting to have particular documents copied. An agency may try to obstruct FOIA requests, by delaying or overpricing your request. One of Lee's FOIA requests with VDGIF took 10 months and ultimately ended up in court. Another FOIA request was over priced, but because he wanted the information in a timely manner, he paid the fee and reserved the right to challenge later. If you are having difficulty or simply want to know more about FOIA there are two helpful sites. The Department of Legislative Services created a FOIA advisory council to assist both citizens and governmental bodies. They can issue an opinion, but it does not have the weight of a legal opinion. http://dls.state.va.us/groups/foiacouncil/sm032305.htm The second organization is private and funded by the Press Association. The Virginia Coalition for Open Government plays more of a watchdog role. On their website are links to newspaper editorials related to the VDGIF situation and how the use of FOIA was instrumental in exposing inappropriate activities in a state agency. http://www.opengovva.org/ The Virginia Freedom of Information is in the Code of Virginia (2.2-3700 ? 2.2-3714) MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS: Adult GED will be starting up again in September. Fliers are available for members to help post. Census statitics indacate that there are over 3,000 people in the county who haven't graduated from high school. Few are taking advantage of the classes offered. This is a real drawback for the county in its attempt to attract business as prospective businesses look for an adeqautely education work force. The next Rural Nelson meeting is a picnic on Sunday, August 21st at 2:00 p.m. at the Blue Ridge Conference Center in Montebello. There will be canoeing, horseshoes, croquet, volleyball, and swimming (if we can find life guards who will volunteer their time). Details to follow. Respectfully submitted, Mary Buford Hitz, Secretary ------------------------------------------------------------------------- OF INTEREST: The annual School and Community Health Fair will be held at the High School-Middle School on July 14th from 3 to 7 PM. Free screenings for area residents will include bone density, cholesterol, blood pressure, mammagrams, body fat analysis, skin cancer, psa blood tests and sports physicals for Nelson County student athletes. Please call 263-4858 for information. Blue Ridge Medical Center would like to invite community members to a Birthday Barbeque Picnic on July 23rd from 4 PM to 7PM. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, there will be picnicing at the Orchard House Bed and Breakfast (just off 29 north of Lovingston), live bluegrass music, games for the children and great food. Bring your lawn chair and prepare to enjoy a great late afternoon celebration. Tickets (available at BRMC) are $5 per person, $15 for families of up to 5, $3 for children ages 6 - 12 and free for those under 6. Call 263-4000 for info. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- DID YOU KNOW? - If the company you work for or retired from offers a matching donation program, Rural Nelson qualifies as a 501(c)3 under that program? You can donate and then double your donation with matching funds. Simply include the application form with your donation and we'll take care of the paperwork. Kim T. Cash Field Officer Rural Nelson, Inc. P. O. Box 401 (622 Front Street) Lovingston, VA 22949 434.263.5000 Email: info@ruralnelson.org www.ruralnelson.org