City of Chemnitz gets freedom of information statute
At its meeting yesterday, the City Council adopted the Freedom of Information Statutes in accordance with the Municipal Code for the Free State of Saxony (SächsGemO).
The Freedom of Information Statute guarantees free access to information from public bodies of the City of Chemnitz. Every resident of the City of Chemnitz is entitled to this free access. This is intended to increase the transparency of the city administration and promote independent access to city information for the interested public. The statutes regulate the basic conditions under which such information is made accessible.
Furthermore, the statutes regulate the following procedure:
Access to information is granted on request and can be applied for in writing or in electronic form at the responsible office of the City of Chemnitz, i.e. decentralised in the departments, offices and facilities or in-house companies.
The department where the requested information is available is responsible. The information should be made available within one month. If the requested information is extensive or complex, the deadline can be extended to two months. The information must be made available in a suitable manner for people with disabilities.
The City of Chemnitz shall provide sufficient time, material and space for access to information during opening hours. Priority may be given to publication, particularly on the Internet
There is no entitlement to information if this is contrary to the public interest or the justified claims of individuals, e.g. in the case of trade or business secrets or information relating to confidential consultations and the like. Furthermore, there is no entitlement to disclosure if the applicant can reasonably obtain this information from generally accessible sources.
Costs may be charged for the provision of the information. The City of Chemnitz will inform the applicant of the amount of the costs incurred in good time.