Requesting information from the municipality (Woo).

What is it?

On May 1, 2022, the Open Government Act (Woo) went into effect. The Woo aims at a transparent and actively disclosing government. Governments are therefore required to disclose certain categories of information already on their own accord. For example, you are entitled to information about the municipality's policies and decisions, about which the municipality already informs its residents through press releases, door-to-door newspapers and the website. The information covered by the categories listed in the Woo will be made public in stages.

The information you are looking for may already be public. If you want to request information that the municipality has not (yet) made public, you can submit a Woo request to the municipality.

Note! If you also want to reuse this information, do not submit a Woo request but a Who request.

What to do.

If you want to make a request to the municipality under the Open Government Act (Woo) to obtain certain information, you can make the request in several ways: online, orally or in writing. Submission by e-mail is not possible.

To whom should you address the request?

Address your (written) request to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (B&W).

What should you put in the request?

Health ensure that your request (letter) for information includes at least the following points:

• You must name the subject (in jargon: the administrative matter) or document (if you know the specific document) on which you want information. If you only mention a subject, it must be sufficiently specific. In other words, the subject should not be worded too broadly. If the subject is not sufficiently specific, the municipality will ask you to specify the subject.
• It must be information that is identifiable. Of course, the information you want must have been recorded somewhere. This does not have to involve written documents only. Audio tapes, films and photographs are also covered by the Woo.
• It must be information available to the relevant public authority (in jargon: the governing body).
• The information you request must, by its nature, be related to the public task. In short, this means that it must concern a government issue. It is then about the policy of the government agency in question including the preparation and implementation of this policy.

How long does it take to process a Woo request?

The governing body must decide on your Woo request no later than 4 weeks after receiving your request. This is precisely why it is important to make sure you have proof of the date you made the request. However, the municipality can extend the 4-week period by 2 weeks. In that case, however, you must be notified of this extension by the government prior to the extension.

Transmission of information

In principle, if the government makes a positive decision on your Woo request, the information you have requested will be sent to you at the same time as the decision. Please note that if other interested parties are expected to be involved in your Woo request, different deadlines apply.

Can the government agency refuse my request for information (Woo request)?

If you petition the municipality under the Open Government Act (Woo) to obtain certain information, there are basically two possible outcomes:

1. your request for information is granted
2. your request for information is denied

Your request for information will be granted

If the government agency grants your request, you can get information in several ways:

• You will receive a copy of the requested documents or the literal content of a document, audio tape, film or other data media.
• You are invited to come see the documents.
• You will receive an excerpt or summary of the content.
• You receive information from documents or other data carriers.

Your request for information is denied

Not every Woo request for information is automatically granted. While the principle is that all government information is public, there are a number of exception situations that the municipality could invoke.

Briefly, there are two types of exception categories:

1. The absolute grounds for exception. That is, your request for information in these cases will always be denied.
2. The relative grounds for exception. That is, depending on the case, the public authority may decide whether or not to provide the information.

How does it work?

The Open Government Act aims to make government more and more accessible. Government information must become more accessible and easier to find for everyone. In addition, of course, it remains possible to request documents yourself from the municipality.

What information is involved? 

The Woo covers 11 categories of information:

1. laws and regulations
2. organization data
3. council documents
4. governing documents
5. documents from advisory boards
6. covenants
7. annual plans and reports
8. Wob / Woo requests
9. investigations
10. decisions
11. complaints

The municipality already makes much public, such as:

• organization details,
• council documents and
• college decisions.

These can be found on the website.

Other pieces will also be made public on this website in the future. This will be done in stages.

What does it cost?

In general, a request to the municipality to provide certain information is free of charge. However, the municipality may charge certain costs (fees) for making copies or providing an extract etc. in connection with your (Woo) request.