Richmond City Council on Monday approved Mayor Danny Avula’s proposal to create an online library of Freedom of Information Act requests, a move supporters say will improve access to public records but critics argue falls short of true transparency.

An ordinance from Avula passed 7-1, with 3rd District Council Member Kenya Gibson voting against and 5th District Council Member Stephanie Lynch absent from the meeting.

“By making information easier to access, we strengthen accountability, build trust, and continue to show residents that City Hall is focused on getting the basics right,” Avula said in a statement after the vote.

The FOIA library will limit which requested documents can be published, a measure officials say is intended to protect private information and reduce legal risk.

The council considered two FOIA library proposals, one from Avula and a less restrictive version from Gibson. The administration opposed Gibson’s proposal as impractical, while Gibson said the mayor’s plan did not go far enough to ensure accountability.

“Some information is not transparency,” Gibson said during a discussion before the vote. “Some information, to be frank, is the way that the government works now.” 

Gibson’s ordinance was rejected 6-2, with Gibson and 4th District Council Member Sarah Abubaker voting in favor, despite support from residents, local activists and transparency advocates. 

Public speakers also challenged the reasoning for Avula’s proposal, given existing FOIA privacy laws and Richmond’s previous transparency issues, including an ongoing lawsuit from a former FOIA officer over the office’s operations. 

While most council members backed Avula’s proposal, they raised their own concerns about the administration’s transparency during discussions on a resolution to allocate part of the city’s surplus funds. 

City officials recently reported an estimated $22 million surplus from the 2025 fiscal year after financial concerns shaped government operations this year, including developing the 2026 budget and decisions around the property tax rate. 

Several council members expressed frustration and voiced support for Abubaker after the city dismissed and criticized her requests for clarity when officials learned about the surplus and for a potential 2026 budget with lower taxes. 

“It was clearly a missed opportunity, I think, of rebuilding trust through transparency,” Gibson said. “$22 million is not a rounding error.” 

Two other transparency-focused ordinances from Gibson were approved during the meeting. Members of local boards and commissions including the Economic Development Authority and the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority must now provide more detailed disclosure forms. 

In addition, Richmond’s open data portal is now required to publish more information and won’t charge fees for FOIA requests of public records required by City Code to be included in the portal. 

City officials said the FOIA library is scheduled to be implemented Wednesday, July 1 with a pilot version possibly released in the coming months.