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| Art generated by AI following author's prompt: Report locked in safe |
The Enfield Town Council is considering a consequential issue: outsourcing our public works trash removal service. However, the town has not released the consultant's report, which likely examines the pros and cons of such a move, even as the Council begins its budget deliberations.
The town council authorized the hiring of the consultants in November, 2024. On April 7, 2025, the Town Council discussed the report in executive session. I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for a report copy this week.
The Town Manager's office responded that the report is still in draft format and is not eligible for public disclosure under the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act. I was also told: "The contract has not provided us a completion date at this time."
That means the report could be withheld from the public indefinitely.
Draft is not an automatic exemption
This was my response:
"My understanding, based on a plain reading of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act, is that a document's status as a "draft" does not provide a blanket exemption from disclosure—particularly when it has been shared with the full Town Council.
As stated in the statute:
"(1) Preliminary drafts or notes, provided the public agency has determined that the public interest in withholding such documents clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure."
This means the town must demonstrate that withholding the report serves a greater public interest than releasing it. May I ask:
What specific public interest is served by keeping this document confidential?If the consultant's report has been shared with the Town Council, it is almost certainly informing deliberations on the Public Works budget this week. If those discussions are held in executive session, it would further compound the concern that critical policy decisions are being shielded from public scrutiny without sufficient justification.
Given that this report appears to be a public record under FOIA, I respectfully ask that the town reconsider its position and release the non-exempt portions of the document."
I can file a complaint with the state FOIA commission but it can take as long as a year before a decision is made. That doesn't really help.
The elephant in the room
Now, the Council is expected this week to take up the Public Works budget at a workshop. The elephant in the room is whether the town will outsource key services. It's hard to see how this budget deliberation can be held openly without referencing the consultant's report.
Knowing what this study states is critical. The obvious concerns with outsourcing can be summarized this way: Outsourcing could mean lower labor and capital costs in the short term. But once the town dismantles its ability to perform trash collection in-house, it may lose long-term leverage—and face escalating costs with limited options. Presumably, the report assesses those pros and cons.
Without access to the consultant's findings, how can residents evaluate what's truly in the town's best interest?
Enfield needs an open discussion, grounded in facts and transparency—not secrecy justified by labeling a document a "draft."
