The Delaware Freedom of Information Act establishes that “it is vital in a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner” and that “citizens have easy access to public records in order that the society remain free and democratic.”
What is a public record?
The state FOIA act defines a public record as “information of any kind, owned, made, used, retained, received, produced, composed, drafted, or otherwise compiled or collected, by any public body, relating in any way to public business, or in any way of public interest, or in any way related to public purposes, regardless of the physical form or characteristic by which such information is stored, recorded, or reproduced.”
FOIA allows for some documents to be exempted, including:
- personnel records
- investigatory files compiled for civil or criminal law-enforcement purposes
- trade secrets
- commercial or financial information, which is of a privileged or confidential nature
- records involving labor negotiations or collective bargaining, etc.
Making a FOIA request
The City of Rehoboth Beach has established a Freedom of Information Act policy to maximize the information available to the public, establish a reasonable fee structure for providing records, and streamline procedures to disseminate information.
- The city secretary is the city’s FOIA coordinator and serves as the point of contact.
- FOIA requests to inspect or receive copies of public records should be made in writing to the FOIA coordinator and may be submitted via the online request form or by email, fax, or U.S. mail.
- The City of Rehoboth Beach will respond to requests as soon as possible and, at a maximum, within 15 days of receiving the request unless it indicates that additional time is needed.
- The city may charge reasonable fees, as outlined in its FOIA policy for duplicating records, published documents, and staff labor costs.