Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests The City of Pontiac is a public body required by law to provide existing, non-exempt public records to persons upon written request. The City of Pontiac's Freedom of Information Act policy, as approved by the City Council, April 13, 2017, is to respond to requests in a consistent, fair and even-handed manner. Some records are exempt from public disclosure by the Michigan Freedom of Information Act or other statutes. Also, the City of Pontiac may charge fees to fulfill FOIA requests in accordance with state law.
Submit a Request All FOIA requests must be submitted in writing. You may submit your request in person, by email, fax or mail via the following: Mail or in person: City of Pontiac Clerk's Office 47450 Woodward Ave First Floor Pontiac, MI 48341 Phone: 248-758-3200 Fax: 248-758-3160 Email:foia@pontiac.mi.us
FOIA Response The FOIA statue allows the City five (5) working days to respond to a FOIA request. An extension of an additional ten (10) days is allowed under the statute, including if the request requires the City to search for, collect, examine, or review a voluminous amount of separate and distinct public records, or to collect the public records from numerous offices or facilities located apart from this office. Please note that not all documents are freely available under the FOIA statute; certain documents are not available to the public.
Costs of FOIA Responses Consistent with FOIA Procedures & Guidelines you will be assessed a fee for the City to process your request; you must pay for the costs of finding, processing, copying and mailing the requested material. The costs of locating and reproducing documents will vary depending on the type and number of documents requested. If the charge is expected to exceed $50.00, the City will notify you by letter before proceeding to fill your request. Charges for time spent on FOIA responses are based on the pay rate of the lowest paid employee capable of doing the work.
