Executive Summary - FOI the Fix

The fix is not complicated. Council can reduce FOI volume and cost by improving basic transparency and public communication.

There are four immediate steps:

1. Proactive disclosure
   Post commonly requested records online, including contracts, project budgets, grant applications, engineering memos, Council direction to staff, and decision related staff reports.

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

3. FOI tracking and reporting
   Require a quarterly public report showing FOI volume, general topics, processing time, total cost, and what records could be posted to prevent repeat requests. No names. No personal details.

4. Fix repeat requests
   If the same records keep being requested, that is evidence the Village is not disclosing key information properly the first time.

Residents are not asking for secrets. They are asking for clear numbers, clear records, clear reasoning, and accountability.

FOI exists because residents have a legal right to information. But it should not be the main way people learn what their local government is doing.

Bottom line: FOI is not the problem. The real problem is why residents feel forced to use it. Transparency reduces FOI. Evasive communication increases it.