The Fix Is Not Hard

Executive Summary

There are practical steps Council can take immediately:

1. Proactive Disclosure

Post commonly requested records online, such as:

• contracts and scopes of work

• project budgets and grant applications

• engineering reports and memos

• council direction to staff

• staff reports that explain decisions

2. Public Answer Policy

If a question affects public money, policy, or long term planning, it should not be dismissed as “staff function.”

Residents deserve clear answers in the open.

3. FOI Tracking and Reporting

Council should require a quarterly public report showing:

• number of FOI requests

• general topics

• total processing time

• total cost

• what could be posted to reduce repeat requests

No names. No personal details. Just transparency.

4. Fix the Repeat Requests

If the same records keep being requested, that is a sign the Village is not disclosing information properly the first time.

What Residents Are Asking For

Residents are not asking for secrets.

They are asking for:

• clear numbers

• clear records

• clear reasoning

• clear accountability

FOI exists because residents have a legal right to information.

But FOI should not be the main way people learn what their local government is doing.

The Bottom Line

FOI is not the problem.

The real problem is why residents feel they have to use it.

Council should stop running from FOI and start addressing the cause.

Transparency reduces FOI.
Evasive communication increases it.