General

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Chase City Town Hall

Email:

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Address:

525 North Main Street, Suite A, Chase City, VA 23924

Phone:

(434) 372-5136

Freedom of Information Act Contact Information:

Name: Virginia G. Walker
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Address: 525 North Main Street, Suite A, Chase City, VA 23924
Phone: (434)372-5136

About Chase City

Chase City is located in Mecklenburg County, Virginia; formerly known as Christiansville, for generations Chase City was the largest and most prosperous town in Mecklenburg County.

We're located in beautiful rural Southern Virginia, only 1.5 hours from Richmond and Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Though we enjoy three distinct seasons, none are extreme.

Buggs Island Lake, Virginia's largest lake with 800 miles of shoreline, John H. Kerr Dam, and Lake Gaston are within minutes of the Town.

Active garden clubs, a chapter of the Virginia museum of Fine Arts, the Archaeological Society of Virginia, Ruritans, Lions International, Masonic Lodges, Virginia Historical Society, and the Friends of the Library contribute to the enjoyable quality of life and the comfortable friendly atmosphere of Chase City.

A hidden gem is MacCallum More Museum and Gardens, which also serves as our Visitor Center.

The Chase City Chamber of Commerce sponsors several downtown festivals, car shows, a golf tournament, a parade and other events annually.

Government

A mayor and six-member council govern the Town of Chase City, and a Town Manager administers daily activities including fire, police, public works and recreation.

The town government is far-sighted and supportive of an industrial environment in its coordination of a major sewage treatment expansion. Chase City's significant water supply changed from well water to surface water from the Roanoke River Service Authority. The Town has an abundant water supply and can entertain industrial prospects that demand a high volume of water. The Planning Commission and Industrial Development Authority also cooperate closely with business and industry.

Town Council meets the second Monday night each month at 7:00 PM at the Chase City Municipal Building. View our events calendar.

Rights & Responsibilities:

The Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of the Town of Chase City

under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located § 2.2-3700 et seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.

A public record is any writing or recording -- regardless of whether it is a paper record, an electronic file, an audio or video recording, or any other format -- that is prepared or owned by, or in the possession of a public body or its officers, employees or agents in the transaction of public business. All public records are presumed to be open, and may only be withheld if a specific, statutory exemption applies.

The policy of FOIA states that the purpose of FOIA is to promote an increased awareness by all persons of governmental activities. In furthering this policy, FOIA requires that the law be interpreted liberally, in favor of access, and that any exemption allowing public records to be withheld must be interpreted narrowly.

Your FOIA Rights

• You have the right to request to inspect or receive copies of public records, or both.
• You have the right to request that any charges for the requested records be estimated in advance.
• If you believe that your FOIA rights have been violated, you may file a petition in district or circuit court to compel compliance with FOIA. Alternatively, you may contact the FOIA Council for a nonbinding advisory opinion.

Making a Request for records from the Town of Chase City

• You may request records by U.S. Mail, fax, e-mail, in person, or over the phone. FOIA does not require that your request be in writing, nor do you need to specifically state that you are requesting records under FOIA.

• From a practical perspective, it may be helpful to both you and the person receiving your request to put your request in writing. This allows you to create a record of your request. It also gives us a clear statement of what records you are requesting, so that there is no misunderstanding over a verbal request. However, we cannot refuse to respond to your FOIA request if you elect to not put it in writing.

• Your request must identify the records you are seeking with "reasonable specificity." This is a common-sense standard. It does not refer to or limit the volume or number of records that you are requesting; instead, it requires that you be specific enough so that we can identify and locate the records that you are seeking.

• Your request must ask for existing records or documents. FOIA gives you a right to inspect or copy records; it does not apply to a situation where you are asking general questions about the work of the Town of Chase City, nor does it require the Town of Chase City to create a record that does not exist.

• You may choose to receive electronic records in any format used by the Town of Chase City in the regular course of business.

• For example, if you are requesting records maintained in an Excel database, you may elect to receive those records electronically, via e-mail or on a computer disk, or to receive a printed copy of those records

• If we have questions about your request, please cooperate with staff's efforts to clarify the type of records that you are seeking, or to attempt to reach a reasonable agreement about a response to a large request. Making a FOIA request is not an adversarial process, but we may need to discuss your request with you to ensure that we understand what records you are seeking.

To request records from the Town of Chase City, you may direct your request to Virginia G. Walker, FOIA Officer. She can be reached at 525 North Main Street, Suite A, Chase City, VA 23924, phone 1-434-372-5136, fax 1-434-372-2587, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You may also contact her with questions you have concerning requesting records from the Town of Chase City. In addition, the Freedom of Information Advisory Council is available to answer any questions you may have about FOIA. The Council may be contacted by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by phone at (804) 225-3056 or [toll free] 1-866-448-4100.

The Town of Chase City’s Responsibilities in Responding to Your Request

• The Town of Chase City must respond to your request within five working days of receiving it. "Day One" is considered the day after your request is received. The five-day period does not include weekends or holidays.

• The reason behind your request for public records from the Town of Chase City is irrelevant, and you do not have to state why you want the records before we respond to your request. FOIA does, however, allow the Town of Chase City to require you to provide your name and legal address.

• FOIA requires that the Town of Chase City make one of the following responses to your request within the five-day time period:

1. 1. We provide you with the records that you have requested in their entirety.

1. 2. We withhold all of the records that you have requested, because all of the records are subject to a specific statutory exemption. If all of the records are being withheld, we must send you a response in writing. That writing must identify the volume and subject matter of the records being withheld, and state the specific section of the Code of Virginia that allows us to withhold the records.

1. 3. We provide some of the records that you have requested, but withhold other records. We cannot withhold an entire record if only a portion of it is subject to an exemption. In that instance, we may redact the portion of the record that may be withheld, and must provide you with the remainder of the record. We must provide you with a written response stating the specific section of the Code of Virginia that allows portions of the requested records to be withheld.

1. 4. We inform you in writing that the requested records cannot be found or do not exist (we do not have the records you want). However, if we know that another public body has the requested records, we must include contact information for the other public body in our response to you.

1. 5. If it is practically impossible for the Town of Chase City to respond to your request within the five-day period, we must state this in writing, explaining the conditions that make the response impossible. This will allow us seven additional working days to respond to your request, giving us a total of 12 working days to respond to your request.

• If you make a request for a very large number of records, and we feel that we cannot provide the records to you within 12 working days without disrupting our other organizational responsibilities, we may petition the court for additional time to respond to your request. However, FOIA requires that we make a reasonable effort to reach an agreement with you concerning the production or the records before we go to court to ask for more time.

Costs

• A public body may make reasonable charges not to exceed its actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, supplying, or searching for the requested records. No public body shall impose any extraneous, intermediary, or surplus fees or expenses to recoup the general costs associated with creating or maintaining records or transacting the general business of the public body. Any duplicating fee charged by a public body shall not exceed the actual cost of duplication. All charges for the supplying of requested records shall be estimated in advance at the request of the citizen as set forth in subsection F of § 2.2-3704 of the Code of Virginia.

• You may have to pay for the records that you request from the Town of Chase City. FOIA allows us to charge for the actual costs of responding to FOIA requests. This would include items like staff time spent searching for the requested records, copying costs, or any other costs directly related to supplying the requested records. It cannot include general overhead costs.

• If we estimate that it will cost more than $200 to respond to your request, we may require you to pay a deposit, not to exceed the amount of the estimate, before proceeding with your request. The five days that we have to respond to your request does not include the time between when we ask for a deposit and when you respond.

• You may request that we estimate in advance the charges for supplying the records that you have requested. This will allow you to know about any costs upfront, or give you the opportunity to modify your request in an attempt to lower the estimated costs.

• If you owe us money from a previous FOIA request that has remained unpaid for more than 30 days, the Town of Chase City may require payment of the past-due bill before it will respond to your new FOIA request.

Types of records

The following is a general description of the types of records held by the Town of Chase City:

• Personnel records concerning employees and officials of the Town of Chase City

• Records of contracts which the Town of Chase City has entered into

• Tax records

If you are unsure whether the Town of Chase City has the record(s) you seek, please contact Virginia G. Walker, FOIA Officer directly at 525 North Main Street, Suite A, Chase City, VA 23924, phone 1-434-372-5136, fax 1-434-372-2587, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Commonly used exemptions

The Code of Virginia allows any public body to withhold certain records from public disclosure. The Town of Chase City commonly withholds records subject to the following exemptions:

• Personnel records (§ 2.2-3705.1 (1) of the Code of Virginia)

• Records subject to attorney-client privilege (§ 2.2-3705.1 (2)) or attorney work product (§ 2.2-3705.1 (3))

• Vendor proprietary information (§ 2.2-3705.1 (6))

• Records relating to the negotiation and award of a contract, prior to a contract being awarded (§ 2.2-3705.1 (12))

Policy regarding the use of exemptions

State any written policy your agency may have regarding when statutory exemptions will be invoked to withhold records. For example:

• The general policy of the Town of Chase City is to invoke the personnel records exemption in those instances where it applies in order to protect the privacy of employees and officials of the Town of Chase City.

• The general policy of the Town of Chase City is to invoke the contract negotiations exemption whenever it applies in order to protect the Town of Chase City’s bargaining position and negotiating strategy.

Police Department

The Town of Chase City Police Departments goal is to provide both Professional and Dedicated Law enforcement Service to the wonderful citizens of Chase City, VA. The department is currently made up of a large staff including nine officers and two civilian employees. One of these officers is assigned to the Southside Drug Task Force.

When there is a vacancy available, you can apply at the Chase CIty Municipal Building located at 525 North Main Street, Suite B, Chase City, VA 23924. If there are any questions or concerns, please call (434) 372-5136 or (434) 372-5137.

CURRENT QUALIFICATIONS FOR POLICE OFFICERS

• Be at least 21 years of age.
• A U.S. Citizen
• Excellent physical condition.
• No criminal or serious traffic record.
• Have or eligible to obtain a VA operators license.
• High School Graduate or G.E.D.
• Pass Back Ground Investigation.
• Pass Written and Psychological Exam.
• Complete a several week training program at the Central VA Criminal Justice Academy in Lynchburg, VA.
• Work shift work, Holidays and weekends.
• Pass physical Exam.

BENEFIT PACKAGE

• Competitive Salary
• Paid Health Insurance for Employees
• Paid Vacation
• Virginia Retirement Eligibility
• Paid Uniform Allowance
• Paid Sick Leave and Holidays
• Take home patrol vehicle (based on mileage)

Government

A mayor and six-member council govern Chase City. A town manager administers daily activities including fire, police, public works and recreation.

Chase City's significant water supply changed from well water to surface water from the Roanoke River Service Authority. The Town now has an abundant water supply and can now entertain industrial prospects that demand a high volume of water.

The town government is far-sighted and supportive of an industrial environment in its coordination of a major sewage treatment expansion. The Planning Commission and Industrial Development Authority also cooperate closely with business and industry.

Town Council meets the second Monday night each month at 7:00 PM at the Chase City Municipal Building.

 Alden Fahringer, Mayor
 James Bohannon, Vice Mayor

 Town Council:
 Brenda Hatcher
 Latrisha McCargo
 Marshall E. Whitaker
 Michelle Wilson                                                 Pauline  Keeton

 Town Staff:

 C.F. “Dusty” Forbes - Town Manager
 J. A. Jordon - Police Chief 
 Virginia G. Walker - Treasurer
 Donald Long - Public Works Superintendent