FOIA Request to City of Washington regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
The City of Washington in North Carolina has received a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Old North News, a media organization dedicated to covering local governmental affairs. The request was sent on February 1, 2026, and seeks access to the city’s vendor payment register for the preceding calendar month.
The records requested include the names of vendors paid by the city, dates and amounts of payments, and descriptions of goods or services purchased. The request specifies that it is limited to existing records and does not require the creation of new documents. It emphasizes the public interest in accessing this information for dissemination purposes.
Old North News has also asked for any denials or withholdings to be accompanied by a specific statutory basis for such actions. They have expressed a preference for receiving the records in electronic format if available. Additionally, as members of the media, they are requesting a fee waiver due to their role in gathering and reporting news to hold public institutions accountable.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that aids media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this organization can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
