New FOIA platform aims to increase transparency, efficiency in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond is piloting a new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) platform that officials say will help city employees fulfill requests faster and increase transparency.

On Friday, March 20, Richmond issued a press release announcing the pilot launch of its new citywide FOIA platform, "JustFOIA."

FOIA requests are powerful tools that are meant to promote accountability between citizens and their governing agencies. Virginia FOIA law allows individuals or organizations to request copies of public records from local or state governments. These laws are considered “sunshine laws,” named such because they shine a metaphorical light.

While there are some restrictions on what kinds of documents you can receive using a FOIA request, FOIA officers are required to respond to all requests in some way within five working days, with "day one" considered the first working day after the request is sent. If necessary, they can request an extension, which adds seven working days.

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According to the release, Richmond's FOIA officers have processed hundreds of requests per month between July 2025 and February of this year. The vast majority of them were considered on time. However, in all months but December 2025, a sizable number of requests required an extension to complete.

JustFOIA will help close the gap, improve experience for all, city says

Shifting Richmond's FOIA process to the JustFOIA platform will "increase transparency, save staff time and improve the customer experience for requestors," per the city.

“I’m stoked to cut the ribbon on JustFOIA in the next couple of weeks," said Ross Catrow, director of the Office of the Strategic Communications, in the release. "I want to thank the City’s FOIA Manager and our Department of Information Technology for all the hard work that went into getting this new platform ready to launch. I’ve been a part of Richmond’s media landscape for a long time, and it means a lot to me to contribute to making the City’s government more open and transparent.”

Notably, JustFOIA is not a Richmond invention. Per its website, it's a "GovTech" company developed by the Florida-based technology firm MCCi.

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"JustFOIA manages every step of the process from intake to delivery, saving valuable time through automating repetitive tasks, reminders and communication with requesters and responders," JustFOIA said.

The platform can also issue invoices and collect payments for FOIA requests online, when they are required.

Richmond will officially launch JustFOIA in May. The city noted that other methods for submitting FOIA requests, such as doing so in person or over the phone, will remain available.

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The city will also launch its FOIA Library in May. Said library has also been touted as a win for governmental transparency in Richmond.

Typically, when someone submits a FOIA request, the documents associated with that request are just issued to the person who asked for them. Once this new library goes live, some of Richmond's FOIA-related records will be available on an online portal for public viewing.

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Initially, Richmond officials said that the FOIA Library would contain all of the city's FOIA-related documents. However, during the Richmond City Council's approval process, this changed.

Several restrictions have been placed on what documents can be added to the FOIA Library. In order to be eligible, a record must meet a variety of criteria, including:

• The record was requested by 2 or more requesters
• The record contributes to the public understanding of city operations
• The record exposes wrongdoing or misconduct of a public official, government employee or member of the public
• The record is relevant to the evaluation, performance or accountability of city programs or functions
• The record is otherwise of sufficient public interest to warrant a proactive disclosure in order to promote transparency, public understanding or accountability in city operations

Even if a record meets the above criteria, however, it can be excluded if it:

• Contains strong privacy, security or confidential information that could endanger an individual's safety or security or compromise a minor
• Contains information that otherwise jeopardizes the privacy or reputation of a member of the public who is not a city employee or elected official
• Was requested by someone who is, or their dependents are, the subject of any materials produced in response to a request

These restrictions allow the city "to ensure consistency, transparency and compliance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act while balancing privacy and security," per the final version of the approved ordinance.

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"Where the administration and I disagree is what counts as being transparent," councilwoman Kenya Gibson told 8News at the time. "From where I stand, we can’t take credit for being transparent when we pick and choose what we share. As such, I think the FOIA Library as it was adopted isn’t the version our residents deserve."

Even so, Gibson said she was proud of the progress Richmond was making towards accountability -- a sentiment Mayor Danny Avula echoed in the March 20 press release on JustFOIA.

“I'm proud of the work we’ve done to improve the city’s approach to FOIA over the last year," Avula said. "We’ve increased training across the organization, solidified our cross-departmental procedures, and I’ve made it abundantly clear to department leadership that FOIA is not only just a legal requirement but a responsibility we need to take seriously."