FOIA Request to Town of Wilkesboro regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the Town of Wilkesboro by High Country Times, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive news coverage on local governmental affairs. The request, sent on February 1, 2026, seeks access to specific public records under the North Carolina Public Records Law, G.S. §132-1.
The requested documents pertain to the town’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. The information sought includes the names of vendors paid by the city, dates and amounts of payments made, and descriptions of goods or services purchased. This request aims to gather information of public interest for dissemination purposes and is limited to existing records without necessitating the creation of new documents.
High Country Times has emphasized its role in gathering and reporting news to hold public institutions accountable and provide transparency. The organization has requested that any denial or withholding of information be accompanied by a specific statutory basis for such action. They have also expressed a preference for receiving the records in electronic format if available and have requested a fee waiver as members of the media.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization assisting media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
