COMMENTARY: Williamsburg FOIA Policy Excludes All City Manager Correspondence from Review

City's choice to limit public access extends to more than just sensitive information

In response to a FOIA request last week concerning a discretionary art program funded by the City, the City’s Assistant Attorney informed me that Williamsburg’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) policy is to exempt all working papers and correspondence from City Manager Andrew Trivette. They cite Virginia State Code 2.2-3705.7(2) as justification, and according to experts on FOIA law, they’re well within their right to apply this code and keep everything they want secret. But apparently, they don’t have to — it’s simply a choice they’re making.

(Editor’s Note 2-22-25: Point of clarification, the program in question was created as a tourism funding program. One of this year’s recipients was the Muscarelle Museum of Art, who intends to use the funds for out-of-town marketing efforts. According to the City, recent recipients included several conferences, as well as a group dedicated to building a live performance venue and for studying mobile vendor payment options for Merchant Square).