Entry 76 of 1039
By Think! Christiansburg On April 15, 2008 at 9:17 PM
Mayor Richard Ballengee announced at the April 15 Town Council meeting that the Town will do nothing for another seven weeks, at least with regard to Freedom of Information Act compliance.

Mayor Ballengee reminded those present at the meeting that he had asked the Town attorneys to research the Freedom of Information Act in terms of how Christiansburg does business. That is a narrower scope than he had specified on April 1.

The attorneys, Guynn, Memmer & Dillon of Salem, apparently didn’t know about the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) prior to this research request, even though the law was enacted 40 years ago. You’d think a law firm soliciting work from municipalities would be familiar with something as fundamental to governance as the FOIA.

The Mayor also requested that the attorneys conduct training on the FOIA for Town Council and staff. That training is scheduled to occur after the June 3 Town Council meeting. Compliance with the FOIA continues to be a low priority with the Town, since the training has been put off and relegated to a post-meeting time slot seven weeks from tonight.

Christiansburg residents might expect that after years of flagrant violations of the FOIA, the Town is anxious to improve the situation by conducting the training promptly. That’s not the case. In the meantime, Christiansburg residents might expect that a staff member be designated as the FOIA officer – something that the T’s thought would happen at the April 15 meeting (and based on comments made at candidate forums). That didn’t happen either.

The black hole of government in Christiansburg grows larger and darker.  

As one meeting attendee asked, "How will the Town notify residents about the May 20 budget meeting if the FOIA training isn’t until June 3?"

That is a very good question, which deserves a response from the Mayor and Town Manager.