File cabinets. (Getty)
Case over Richmond meals tax docs moving forward
A local judge rejected the city of Richmond’s efforts to squash a FOIA lawsuit alleging officials gave a faulty response to a request for records related to meals tax enforcement, according to Richmond-area TV station WRIC.
Activists Josh Stanfield and Paul Goldman sought the documents after numerous restaurant owners said the city’s sloppy tax collection practices caused them to get hefty meals tax bills they weren’t expecting.
The plaintiffs in the case said Richmond, which has recently struggled with FOIA compliance, failed to respond within the legally required five-day window. Attorneys for the city disputed that and said Stanfield and Goldman had sent their request to the wrong email addresses.
Denying the city’s attempt to have the case thrown out early, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Richard B. Campbell said the law gives officials five business days to respond to a FOIA request and it “wasn’t done” in the case before him.
Spotsylvania sheriff releases school board footage
The aftermath of a contentious closed-door meeting of the Spotsylvania County School Board was captured on two body cameras worn by two sheriff’s deputies, according to the FXBG Advance.
The outlet used FOIA to obtain the footage, which shows Board Member Lisa Phelps angrily talking about being “bullied back there” and implying law enforcement would try to remove her from the room. The comments shown on the body camera footage were not part of the official livestream of the meeting, FXBG Advance reported.
Phelps alleged Board Vice Chair Nicole Cole assaulted her at the meeting and proceeded to press charges against her. Phelps accused Cole of closing a door on her shoulder and trying to trip her, according to the Fredericksburg Free Press. Cole disputed that account, saying she was standing still and Phelps only brushed her foot while walking past.
Does UVA baseball make money?
The University of Virginia’s baseball team made it all the way to the College World Series this year. But the winning program is a money loser for the school, according to financial records obtained by the Augusta Free Press.
In a column, the paper’s editor, Chris Graham, writes that the team’s postseason run made him curious about the money powering the program.
The records he received showed the program ran a $3.1 million loss in fiscal year 2023. The roughly $444,000 in baseball ticket revenue that year, the documents showed, wasn’t even enough to cover the head coach’s $717,111 salary.
Have you experienced local or state officials denying or delaying your FOIA request? Tell us about it: info@virginiamercury.com
The post FOIA Friday: Richmond lawsuit proceeds, video shows school board drama appeared first on Virginia Mercury.