FOIA Request to City of Morganton regarding vendor payment registers on February 1, 2026.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was submitted to the City of Morganton by Hickory Sun, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs. The request seeks access to the city’s vendor payment register for the immediately preceding calendar month. This request is made under the North Carolina Public Records Law, G.S. ยง132-1.
The records requested include the names of vendors paid by the city, dates and amounts of payments, and descriptions of goods or services purchased. The aim is to gather information of public interest for dissemination to the public. The request specifies that it seeks existing records only and does not require the creation of new documents.
Hickory Sun has expressed willingness to receive these records in electronic format if available. In case any portion of this request is denied or withheld, they have asked for a specific statutory basis for such denial and expect all reasonably segregable portions of the records to be released.
As members of the media, Hickory Sun emphasizes their role in holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency. They have also requested a fee waiver due to their professional responsibilities in disseminating information.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA requests. 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.
