FOIA Requests Could Lead To Lawsuits In Plymouth Township

PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, MI — A former Plymouth Township elected official and a failed trustee candidate are considering legal action after their appeal on costs relative to Freedom of Information Act requests were recently denied by the township board. The dispute stems from a recreation survey conducted by the township last year.

Former Clerk Nancy Conzelman and 2016 board trustee candidate Tom Parrelly requested electronic copies of survey responses, but were told the township would charge them $170 and $1,950, respectively. Current Township Clerk Jerry Vorva said the charges are based on staff time to prepare responses to their requests. But Conzelman and Parrelly believe the charges are excessive, and make seek relief in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Vorva said he calculated the figures after estimating the amount of work it would require from township employees. That aside, Vorva and new Supervisor Kurt Heise have questioned the motive for such a far-reaching request and implied it could be an attempt to bombard Vorva's office with time-consuming FOIA requests as it raced to deal with other matters, such as finishing a state-required audit by June 30.

Heise questioned whether the FOIA request was an intent to "bog down" the township, specifically Vorva's office. Parrelly and Conzelman denied the allegations and they have appealed FOIA costs they dismissed as excessive, but the township board voted 7-0 during a June 13 meeting to deny the appeal. Neither Parrelly nor Conzelman attended the meeting.

For more, go to the Plymouth Observer.

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Photo courtesy of Plymouth Township